T. Falls Council approves variance request

The Thompson Falls City Council only had one item on their agenda for Monday's meeting, and with that the council approved a variance request to the city's zoning ordinance.

Mosher Transportation received a variance request for installing electric charges and additional infrastructure to cover buses on three properties, two on Washington Street and one on Greenwood Street. Prior to Monday's council meeting, a public hearing was held at City Hall, followed by a meeting of the Board of Adjustments, which recommended the council approve the variance request.

Mosher Transportation was awarded a grant earlier this year to purchase 11 electric buses. The funding is provided by the EPA's Clean School Bus Program. As part of the grant, the Thompson Falls company will decommission some of the diesel buses as well. The board of adjustments had asked for a timeline for decommissioning the old buses as well as a rough drawing of the plan for additional buildings on the properties. The board did not receive that, but said that the information provided was enough to make the recommendation to the council.

At Monday's meeting, Montana Department of Transportation provided an update on area projects. District Administrator Bob Vosen and Construction Engineer John Schmidt said DOT will be back this summer to repair the chip seal on Main Street in Thompson Falls and repair some areas. Vosen explained that taxpayer money will not be used for the repairs and that will be the responsibility of the contractor. Schmidt said there is nothing wrong with the asphalt. "We are just doing to fix the chip seal. Hopefully that takes three to four days," he said.

"It's interesting how you say these projects are so expensive but you redid a road that didn't need it," resident Kristen Wing commented about the Main Street project. Vosen compared the 2023 Main Street project to regular maintenance on a vehicle and said the regular projects help extend the life of the road.

Vosen also said there will be construction this summer at the Highway 200 bridge over Thompson River east of town. DOT will move the wildlife deterrent mat closer to Thompson River Road.

Schmidt said work is expected this summer to repair the Highway 200 bridge over the railroad near Noxon at mile marker 17. He said the work will be fairly disruptive and traffic will be down to a single lane during the repairs.

"Bridges are a high priority for us," Vosen said. DOT plans to repair the deck on the bridge over the Clark Fork River west of Thompson Falls in 2025. Also tentatively set for next year is repairs to a slide area on Highway 200 near Heron. In 2027, the agency plans to fix slopes and address an identified crash trend area near Belknap.

Resident Ron Chisenhall asked about a stretch of Highway 200 west of Dixon that has several dips. "We're well aware we need to do something there," Vosen stated, adding that they are waiting for the final report on the area.

During public comment, newly appointed state Sen. Greg Hinkle addressed the council after being denied a request to be put on the agenda. "I asked for permission to talk about issues and address the friction back and forth and to discuss the rule of law but was denied by the city," he stated. Hinkle sent a certified letter to Mayor Rusti Leivestad, asking her to send him the denial and reasons in writing. "I have received no response to date," Hinkle wrote in the May 4 letter.

At Monday's meeting, Hinkle then read from Article II, Section 9 of the Montana Constitution, referred to as the right to know. "No person shall be deprived of the right to examine documents or to observe the deliberations of all public bodies or agencies of state government and its subdivisions, except in cases in which the demand of individual privacy clearly exceeds the merits of public disclosure," Hinkle read. "The public has the right to participate, not just in three minutes. People should be afforded all the time that they need," he said, referring to the council's policy that public comments be limited to three minutes.

Hinkle then asked about the consent agenda and the documents to which it referred. Council member Earlene Powell commented that the documents are on the city's website, to which Hinkle's wife Gail later replied that some people are not on the internet. "I can't think of one time when there wasn't a committee that didn't have a financial report out in the open," Gail Hinkle said in her public comment time.

Resident Melinda Thompson said she was also denied an agenda request. "I have learned a lot about the government review process and wanted to be put on the agenda. I believe my agenda was worthy because I feel the education of our public is paramount. I would like to be reconsidered for the agenda," Thompson stated.

Wing, during her public comment, asked the city about the millings from the Main Street paving project. She stated that she had asked if citizens could use them, but was told the millings had been sold to the county. She also stated that she was told they needed to be used right away, but said the pile is still sitting on Mount Silcox. "I don't know if we were lied to as to the reason they couldn't come to the citizens," Wing stated.

The next city council meeting will be Monday, June 10, at 6 p.m.