Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The City Council of Laurel held a workshop meeting on Monday, November 2, 2026, at 6:30 PM. The agenda included an update from the Smith Garson consulting firm, progress on the Montana Land Use Planning Act (MLUPA) compliance, a detailed report on the city's water intake system failure, approval of several resolutions, and the introduction of an ordinance to adopt updated building codes. Public input was received on one agenda item.
No members of the public spoke during the initial public input period. Later, during the discussion of the Billings Overhead Door contract, a citizen named Laurel expressed support for the fire department's procurement process, noting the department had obtained multiple bids and was "responsibly spending our tax dollars."
Smith Garson Update: The council was briefed on a recent two-day visit by the Smith Garson consulting firm, which toured the city's water intake, water plant, and water tower to identify funding opportunities for infrastructure improvements. The firm will prepare engineering scopes and preliminary cost estimates, then work with Montana's congressional delegation between now and February 2027 to secure grants, appropriations, or loans. Projects are anticipated for late 2027 and 2028.
MLUPA Update: The council heard that the city's contract planner has recommended extending the land use planning process to March 2027 to allow for more public workshops. The planning commission will hold additional sessions to gather input and meet requirements of Montana's Land Use Planning Act. Mayor has requested that Forrest Sanderson provide more direction on the project moving forward.
Water Intake System Update: Public Works Director Matt Wheeler provided an extensive update on the failure of the city's newer water intake, which has been out of service 90% of the time since May 2026 and is currently delivering no water to the plant. The older 2003 intake is the sole available source. The new intake, substantially completed in April 2017, has experienced repeated clogging from ice and sediment. Current problems include a significant sandbar covering the intake, sediment inside the pipes (6–18 inches deep at inspected points), a leak in the raw water pipeline requiring excavation (the pipe is 25 feet deep at that point, and a contractor is starting tomorrow), and potential undersized air vents. Wheeler outlined a multi-pronged plan: as soon as the Army Corps of Engineers issues a permit, the city will place an excavator in the river to dig out the intake and attempt to remove the lids for internal cleaning, with diver assistance. He stated that restoring redundancy before peak winter ice conditions is the highest priority. Council Vice President Closey asked about running a camera down the full length of the pipe, which Wheeler said was under consideration.
Approval of Final Plat – Cherry Hill Subdivision, 4th Filing (Resolution): The council approved the final plat, annexation, and R7500 zoning for the subdivision located off West Maryland Lane. The developer has completed all infrastructure (sewer, water, stormwater, curb, gutter, asphalt) and met city conditions. The planning board had unanimously recommended approval on August 20, 2025. The property is restricted by covenants to single-family homes, though the city's zoning would permit duplexes.
Authorized Modified Engineering Services Agreement with Interstate Engineering (Resolution): The council authorized the mayor to execute an agreement with Interstate Engineering for limited-scope planning services to complete the LUPA compliance work, with completion expected by March 2027.
Approved PRO Housing 2 Grant Agreement (Resolution): The council approved a grant agreement with the Montana League of Cities and Towns that will provide full reimbursement for LUPA compliance costs. The grant was included in the FY26–27 budget.
Approved Budget Amendment for Fire Department Doors and Logos (Resolution): The council amended the FY26–27 budget to appropriate funds for six large commercial doors, two small doors, and full-color fire department logos for the fire station.
Authorized Contract with Billings Overhead Door Company (Resolution): The council authorized the mayor to sign a contract with Billings Overhead Door Company for the installation of all doors at the fire station at a cost of approximately $46,000–$48,000. Chief Hopper noted that the existing doors are original to the building and in poor condition, and that Billings Overhead provided the best price among three bids.
Authorized Contract with Ace Electric (Resolution): The council authorized a contract with Ace Electric to install monitoring wiring at the sewer plant, enabling real-time monitoring of systems to prevent equipment failures such as a pump failure that previously cost $15,000 to rebuild.
Introduced Ordinance to Update Building Codes (Ordinance): The council received an ordinance to amend city codes to adopt the 2024 editions of the International Building Code, International Residential Code, International Energy Conservation Code, and Swimming Pool and Spa Code, as required by state law. The ordinance adds an appendix for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), consistent with a 2023 state mandate for municipalities over 5,000. It does not adopt appendixes for straw-bale construction or radon pre-construction mitigation. The ordinance will have its first reading at the next council meeting, with a second reading and adoption to follow; it would take effect 30 days after adoption.
Good evening. Before we begin, I want to remind everyone that Montana law permits any person to photograph, audio record, video record, or live stream an open public meeting. Please be aware that in addition to any recording or live stream provided by the city, other individuals or organizations may be making their own recordings of tonight's proceedings. We ask that everyone who is recording to keep aisles and entrances clear. Avoid disruptive lighting or noise and place or operate equipment in a way that does not interrupt the proceedings. These expectations apply equally to everyone. Thank you for helping us maintain an open, accessible, and orderly public meeting. Welcome to Laurel City Council workshop. Your attendance and participation are important parts of representative government. The city council encourages public involvement and provides several opportunities for citizens to address the council. For community announcements following the consent agenda, citizens may make brief community announcements limited to one minute per speaker. For public input, comments are limited to three minutes per speaker. The council can debate or take cannot debate or take action on non-agenda might matters, but must request uh that it an issue be placed on a future agenda. The mayor may provide factual information when appropriate. Council member's silence should not be interpreted as agreement or disagreement. For citizens wishing to comment on an agenda item, you should wait till until the mayor introduces the item and invites the public to comment. Comments on items removed from the consent agenda are also permitted before a council action with a three-minute time limit per speaker. The mayor may extend speaking limits with the consent of the council. If an agenda item is scheduled for a future public hearing, citizens are encouraged to reserve their comments for that hearing when testimony and written evidence will become part of the official record. Any questions regarding agenda items may always be directed to the city clerk treasurer's office for clarification? We thank you for your interest and participation in city government, and we welcome your involvement and encourage you to attend future council meetings. We'll go on to our public input. Is there any public comment? Okay, seeing none, we'll move on to our general items. Uh Smith Garson update. Um Smith Garson was uh with the city on uh Thursday afternoon and Friday. Uh we did a uh uh initial meeting to uh uh set the agenda on Thursday and uh discuss uh um some of the things that we would do on Friday with the team and uh on Friday. Uh we met and toured the intake. Uh we toured uh around the water plant, looked at the old intake, um, and then drove up to uh the water tower to look at that and uh kind of see um some of the opportunities for funding and opportunities that they could help us in uh securing uh either appropriations grants or some um loans uh to assist us in our uh growth and our infrastructure. Uh we will be having an update uh from that meeting on our intake as well as a meeting with uh our engineers and Matt will be doing that uh shortly. Um we will be uh uh obtaining some engineering scopes and uh preliminary cost estimates uh for Smith Garson, and uh those will be going to them, and uh they will be working between now and February uh with our delegation from Montana uh to assist us in hopefully securing some funding of this so that we can uh have that ready to go in late 27 and 28 for projects uh that will uh help us with our infrastructure. Um, any questions on that? Okay,