Parade route soon to be closed to parking
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RONAN — The city council meeting on Monday, June 20, was full of discussion about the closure of Main Street, a mill levy proposal, solicitor licensing, and issues with utility hookup fees.
The parade route through town will get a bit wider once the council approves an ordinance to close Main Street during those events. The council hasn’t yet voted on the matter but they said they support it, and they plan to pass the ordinance once Police Chief Ken Weaver is finished developing it.
A public hearing was held before the regularly scheduled meeting on the issue and everyone in attendance agreed that closing the street before a parade would help keep kids safe. It was mentioned that it’s difficult for people driving in the parade to see children as they dart out to pick up candy.
“To me, it’s about the safety of the children,” Chief Weaver said. Council member Julie Moore said protecting kids from getting run over is important, but she also wanted to consider the businesses on the route. It was determined that closing the street for only half an hour instead of several hours before the parade created a good balance for safety and business. Once the ordinance goes into effect, most likely around the first part of July, cars parked on the parade route can be towed at the expense of the car owner.
With that settled, Chief Weaver said he is working on a plan to bring in more funding for the police department for things like an additional police officer, technology upgrades, training and equipment replacement including bulletproof vests. He has a two-step plan that could work together to bring in $100,000 over several years.
First, he applied for a matching grant, but he won’t know if that was approved for a couple of months. In order to receive the grant, the department needs to match it, so Weaver is proposing a Public Safety Mill Levy. If he doesn’t get the grant, the money from the levy would still be used for improvements if it passes.
“I want to see how much support we would get before we have a resolution,” Weavers said.
Chief Weaver is asking for public comment on the issue. He can be reached at 406-676- 0223.
The council said they support the idea.
“Twenty cents a day, I think it’s a deal,” said Mayor Kim Aipperspach of the levy’s cost to taxpayers with a home valued at about $100,000.
Concerning solicitor’s licensing, the council asked the chief to enforce the ordinance requiring people to get a license to sell things in town. The issue came about after a member of the public asked the board, some time before the meeting, if they needed a license for a lemonade stand.
The board said kids with lemonade stands are exempt from the ordinance along with nonprofit groups, but people making a profit — like people selling potatoes, cherries or other goods — need to get a license, and they are available at city hall on Main Street.
Utility hookup fees were on the agenda. Ryan Nelson of Nelson Homes, Inc. asked the board for an alternative concerning the cost of utility hookups on a new subdivision they are building, which is set at $3,600 for one unit to hookup to water and sewer. The subdivision project will require several hookups. The board questioned the possibility of setting a precedence for others to ask for an alternative fee. Mayor Aipperspach said the Ronan Water Committee would look into the issue to help make a decision.
A representative for the company said that they didn’t want to shortchange the city but the cost was more than they expected.
Ronan has a new website that can be found at www. cityofronan.com. Solicitor licensing information, open container permit applications, a request to put something on the agenda and much more is on the site, including the water report when it’s ready to be posted.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 5, at 6 p.m., which was moved due to the holiday.
