Anyone think maybe our City Snow crews are getting some kind of kick-back from the 4-wheel drive truck dealers? I have never seen such a mess on our streets (except for last year that is) Why is it we can’t budget a few pesos for snow removal? Navigating Havre’s streets is so difficult during the winter months that I have actually considered trading my little car for a Ford F-150 4-wheel drive so I can get out of my driveway and get around downtown. I would rather pay a few bucks for snow removal as a cheaper option.
One of our readers pointed out to us that every business has cleared their parking lots and all the snow routes that the State takes care of were plowed even while it was still snowing. I wonder why the City can’t seem to manage to haul a few loads of snow off but they can put three guys to work taking down Christmas decorations.
Do you think the City should reprioritize their budget?
It would also be helpful if the residents of Havre would not plow the snow from thier property out into the streets. The city will not clean up after you, and it just makes the streets that much more inpassable. Don't be rude and think of others.
ReplyDeleteI too do not understand this snow removal issue. I have heard that the city does not have a plow...Is this true? And more importantly what are we paying road taxes for in the city? They are in terrible repair and forget about snow removal. So what I ask are the taxpayers of Havre paying for?
ReplyDeleteYou tax money goes to pay raises,fuel & vehicle up-keep to city & county employees...that is why they don't care..."THEY" don't pay out of pocket!!!..EVERY street & avenue in this town & county are over thier given age expectancy...the infrastructure of this town is past due by 10-15 years...we could be getting our share of the stimulus for this problem but the "POWERS" that be are to stupid to ear-mark it!!
ReplyDeleteAs a city councilman I understand your concerns about snow removal and overall condition of the roads in and around Havre. This is an ongoing struggle for all of us including Hill County and all surrounding communities. Our tax dollars are limited and we do the best with what we have.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, the city crews are out working on the roads as we speak removing snow, a lot of snow! I ask that you bear with us as it takes time to remove it. It is frustrating I know, but we must all do our part. Thanks for the comment Kate, we will take it under advisement.
Fishneedbikes is right, try your best to pile the snow from your driveways and sidewalks on your lawn and keep it out of the streets. If you can park off the street so the crews can clean them. Homeowners should be keeping their sidewalks clean for pedestrians as well.
As for other maintenance, Conn is also correct our roadways are way past their age expectancy. I do take issue with one comment though, we did receive a number of stimulus dollars to rebuild the infrastructure on Saddle Butte Drive as well as to replace an aging lift station downtown. Thanks to hard work by our citizens in demanding something be done and the tenacity of a few local contractors prodding us civil servants along the way, we were able to get those projects completed.
Folks, we do hear you and we will work hard to find additional dollars as they come around. Please feel free to send any additional comments our way.
Who lives on Saddle Butte Drive?Maybe a few of our local "Elitists"....one road...ROFL....give me a break!!!
ReplyDelete....and BTW Anrew...I noticed that you didn't "Comment" on the (Pay-Raises,the Entitlements of vehicle repair & free fuel)...any comment?
ReplyDeleteAndrew thank you for your comments. I understand you are saying that there is work being done on the roads. But, my complaint is where was this work over the weekend? where was this work two weeks ago when we had several inches of slush on the roads. I understand that money is tight for the city but how much does it cost to run a plow threw the streets? There are taxes designated specifically for roads right? I do not blame you specifically but I have not heard an answer to this snow question that is to my satisfaction. There are a very few things I think government should be doing and roads are one of them.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the city workers are out sanding the streets they could put the plow down and push some snow around while they are sanding! Kill two birds with one stone.
ReplyDeleteNeo-Conn, the situation at Saddle Butte Drive was very significant and was costing the City a lot of money with multiple water breaks each year. I don't think it is a matter of being "elitist" as you claim, but rather a matter of priorities. Ask the folks up there on Saddle Butte about having their water off 5 and 6 times a year while repairs are made. As for payraises and expenses, those are negotiated by contract and those costs are always a tough compromise. However, these costs are negotiated by the Mayor and his staff through the budget process. You may contact the Mayor for comment.
ReplyDeleteNow on snow removal. You are correct the City does charge a street maintenance fee which is used to maintain streets. Snow removal is not the only expense for streets though. There is sanding, patching, blading, grading, sweeping, etc. All of this costs money. As far as the timing, the crews were out this weekend. Public Works has a snow removal schedule they follow starting with emergency response routes such as the roadways to the hospital. Yesterday and today the crews worked downtown removing snow and believe it or not it does cost a lot of money to run a snow plow down the street.
We are not without criticism though and I don't pretend to know the opinions of all, so I do appreciate the comments.
HMM...Lets see...water shut off (5 or 6) times a year?...seems to me that whoever was contracted to put in that line must have done a real doozy of a job!...are you re-couping any of that money?....let me guess...the lowest bidder right?...If I get a break in a water line from freezing I usually REPLACE the whole line so I know that it is fixed...but we were talking about the actual road conditions....you changed the subject to water problems...hehe...nice switch....and I don't feel sorry for them if they have'nt gotten tired of it from the get-go and gotten rid of the problem!...those who are in charge of making it right! Seems like a GREAT WASTE of TAX-PAYER dollars right there....what say ye?...
ReplyDeleteAndrew - Thank you again for taking the time to read opinions and respond I do appreciate it and recognize that you do not have to do it.
ReplyDeleteMy question about how much does it cost to run a plow was not meant to imply that it does not cost very much but rather in the scope of the budget why does the cost of this not take a higher priority than say...Christmas decorations? I don't really want to delve into the budget intricacies, but surely you can see why one would be frustrated with the current situation. And, am I not correct that we do not technically have a plow? Is there any chance of that changing in the future?
I do not blame you Andrew. Being a city councilman is a tough job. Thank you for serving our community.
Now Kate...no smoozing needed...lol
ReplyDeleteHe is trying to answer some tough questions while still maintaining
distance from the responsibility
(He is a Politico U know)...I admire the fact that he is the only one in this town with the garbonzos to come here and try to smooth it out...half answers are better than none...lol...
Public works can't afford to plow snow this year because Petey needed a new car .......... maybe next year
ReplyDeleteOK ...I NOTICED THAT WHEN THE CONVERSATION WAS "STEERED" TOWARDS THE ACTUAL "ISSUE" THAT ANDY WENT MUTE...LOL....FOLKS!! THAT IS WHAT POLITITIONS DO!!! OR BETTER YET "POLLUTANTS"...REMEMBER...ONLY THOSE VERY FEW WHO ARE TRUE TO THIER WAYS...WILL BE IN HISTORY AS "AMERICANS" & "HEROS" FOR "ACCOMPLISHING" THE VISIONS &
ReplyDeleteCONSTRUCTION OF AN HONEST & OPEN
AGENDA FOR THE {{ GOOD }}OF THE "PEOPLE"...NOT LINING YOUR POCKETS WITH THE ENTITLMENTS THAT {{ WE ALLOW }} YOU...CHANGE IS COMING SO DECIDE!!
I am still here Neo-Con, although I am not sure where we want this conversation to go. Snow removal is just one expense the City must manage, the crews are removing snow around town and will continue to do so. Will we hit every street? No. That is not possible unfortunately but those roads identified as priority get done first and then as time and resources allow others get taken care of. The same goes for the State and the County crews who are all out working very hard to move all this snow, but we ask for your continued patience.
ReplyDeleteAs for your comments on Saddle Butte Dr, that was not meant to be swith to avoid the issue I was using Saddle Butte as an example of where we used stimulus dollars as you had previously suggested we should. Stimulus funding cannot be used for maintenance expenses rather new construction or replacement only which is what was done if you recall the work being done on 5th Ave. late last fall, that was part of that replacement project.
I also appreciate your comments Neo-Con we have nothing to hide, we may not always agree on the decisions we make, but we abide by those decisions in the best interests of the City of Havre and we take criticism for what its worth and try to learn from it.
So if I don't always respond that doesn't mean I am hiding or mute, it may just mean I am reading, laughing and pondering the comments!
ok Andy...now tell me again what did the "STIMULUS" money do for..
ReplyDeleteSaddle Butte Drive??...what specifically was repaired?...please
inform me...MY EARS ARE WIDE OPEN..
Well Neo-Con, first I should not oversimplify it by stating the project was all stimulus funding because there is a lot of different money involved but suffice it to say the project was an entire replacements of the water infrastructure from 13th street down to 5th ave. That line had a tremendous amount of disrepair on it from the day it was laid back when Saddle Butte was being developed. So it was nearing 50 years of age if not that already. The elevation difference from top to bottom and all the curves made for a series of stresses for the original line and breaks happened all the time. It was costing a lot of money in repairs and needed to be replaced. Patrick Construction was the contractor and we got it done. I know there are many areas of town in disrepair as well and as money becomes available the City will find a way to prioritize these projects and fix what we can when we can. Thanks for the interest.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, you forgot about all the income--oh sorry, I mean revenue; that is going to come into the City coffers from the "No Good, Not paying Their Fair Share, Freeloaders" that are to be annexed into the City. So now we can buy a whole bunch of new equipment and hire more people---but wait a minute. I recall the City saying they could take on these new annexed areas without any increase in employees' or equipment.
ReplyDeleteNow let's see; take in a whole bunch of new roads and more lift stations, when we(the City) can't take care of what we have now?
Man this is complicated!!!!!!!!
OK ANDY...THANKS FOR THAT....NOW...BACK TO THE ROADS DISCUSSION...BECAUSE THE ONLY 2 ROADS IN THIS WHOLE TOWN THAT HAVE HAD ANY REPAIR ARE 5TH & 1ST/HYWY2
ReplyDeleteTHE MAIN ROAD FROM 5TH UP TO HI-PRK
IS LIKE DODGING POT-HOLES CONSTANTLY...I NOTICED SOME SURVEY BEING DONE....IS IT SCHEDULED TO BE REPAIRED THIS SPRING?...(ITS THE ONE ROAD I CAN THINK OF THAT "NEEDS" IT FIRST!)
....AND MY "INTEREST" IN THIS MATTER IS BECAUSE I HAVE TO BUY MY OWN SHOCKS & TIRES...STRUTS...ETC..
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU FOR YOUR "INTEREST" IN PROVIDING THE INFORMATION...
Thanks noone for the comment. There's a lot to comment on here, so bear with me. First, I never said those opposed to annexation were "No Good, Not paying Their Fair Share, Freeloaders." I do know that has been said about those folks, but I have never said that. I understand their concerns and while I may not agree with them, I do understand them. The Coalition has made their point and I think we as the City have tried to make ours as well. Second, no where has the City said that we intend to hire a bunch of new employees or buy a bunch of new equipment to handle those areas being annexed, with the money we will receive as its result. So when we said that we meant it. Will the revenue from those properties pay for that increase? Yes. That is afterall how the process works. Also no where did we say that annexation would alleviate the strain on dollars at the City for its current infrastructure issues, but I am not sure where we would begin on that. To meet your standard of taking care of what we have now, that cost is unknown, but to make all the inftastructure and maintain all roadways in the City of Havre to the level we all want would literally take millions of dollars and that is simply not practical. Annexation will ease some of the pain though because without it, growth to the City of Havre would be stagnant. To you noone I ask the following questions:
ReplyDeleteHow would you propose we grow our City coffers without annexation? The infrastructure in this town and the maintenance and other services we provide simply cannot be afforded by keeping the same footprint and selling our services out the door to our County neighbors without the tax dollars that support that system and as our population ages, the tax dollars continue to diminish. This is not a matter of economics as much as it is a matter of demographics.
We often hear from our opposition that "we paid for the infrastructure and we pay for the water in those pipes." Yes you did and yes you do, but there is much more to this than meets the eye. What do the taxpayers subsidize to you in order to provide that service? The staff, the equipment, the buildings, the infrastructure that connects to your pipes? These are real dollars and must be upgraded and maintained and cost more and more money. Upgrades to our water and sewer treatment facilities cost money and maintenance of those lines cost money and yes you do pay for them, but without the taxpayers of the City of Havre paying for the rest of the costs, there would be no water or sewer facility to provide those services and the businesses on the west end of town may never have been built without those services.
Also why do you think Cities annex property at all if it is not about more than money, because you make a good point here about added costs in the form of maintenance and expansion, its not just about money. You are right it costs just as much to bring property is as you make in the end. But that's where the taxes help. It helps to level the playing field in the form of shared expenses.
Annexation is not popular, I understand this. I am not so callous as to not understand the fiscal impact to these businesses and homeowners at this difficult time. I do. However, the City of Havre cannot afford to wait any longer. We must equalize this structure by adding those properties we service for the benefit of the whole. It does not seem fair and I understand that too and the bottom line is that we at the City failed to correct this problem over the last 40 years. I will not let that happen again and if that means taking a little heat, then so be it. Does that sound like a politician Neo-Con???
But please understand noone all are entitled to their opinions and we can agree to disagree and still remain friends, I hope. For we all must live and work in this community and we all must do what we can to make this community prosper. I welcome your opinions and your thoughts.
Now Neo-Con, yes we are on schedule for a resurface of that roadway as well, the exact timeline escapes me but it is in the near future. I will find out and post it for you and the others in Highland Park. Boulevard, 16th Ave. will also be resurfaced in the future as well. I hear ya about the potholes, they are bad you are right, we will fix them. Let me find out the details and I'll get back to you. Thanks for the question.
ReplyDeleteACTUALLY ANDY SINCE U ASKED....IT FOLLOWS UNDER THE AGENDA OF"WHATS YOURS IS MINE"&"LETS ALL SHARE THE WEALTH"...VERY PROGRESSIVE/SOCIALST
ReplyDeleteTACTIC..."ITS GOOD FOR U I PROMISE"
AND IF YOU DON'T AGREE...WHO CARES
...LOL
OK...NUFF OF THAT SUBJECT...I UNDERSTAND U AIN'T GONNA B FILLING THEM HOLES YER SELF SO WE'LL MOVE ON...LOL
ReplyDelete