Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Dear Editor, On Friday, SB 284 was signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate. I expect it will land on the Governor's desk Monday. The governor plans to veto it, just as he did two years ago, and his successor did two years before that. So far the bill has passed both houses in 2011 (House 68 percent; Senate 54 percent), 2013 (House 63 percent; Senate 64 percent), and 2015 (House 60 percent, Senate 64 percent). The bill requires the FWP to get the approval of County Commissioners before releasing bison in a county....
First Of Two Parts A small group from Glasgow made the trip out to Williston last week to get an inside look at what the workforce camps might look like in Valley County if the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline ever gets approval. With the county commissioners and the county planning and zoning approving the two workforce camps that would be located between Nashua and Fort Peck and another just outside of Hinsdale some curious city and county employees and the chamber of commerce decided to take... Full story
Building season has begun as warm weather has already moved in this early spring. The Valley County Commissioners approved advertising for bids and accepted a few bids in the last commissioner meeting open to the public on Wednesday, March 25. They approved accepting bids for a project on the Valley County Transit building parking lot. The project proposal will include replacing the concrete parking lot. Bidding is open to contractors with five years’ experience. Commissioners will accept bids until 5 p.m. on Friday, April 10. Bids will be o...
Valley County Commissioners meet for discussion and decision every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. The public is always invited to attend. During the month of February they had several items on the agenda. Here are a few highlights. They discussed the possibility of hiring another part time nurse for the Valley County Health Department. Commissioner Bruce Peterson wanted to wait before approving more hours and wanted to make sure they weren't adding costs to the budget. Commissioner Paul Tweten agreed that they could gather more information before...
This is the second of two articles in The Courier regarding concerns about the proposed Valley County Keystone XL pipeline workforce camps.TransCanada officials visited recently and participated in a public hearing where the plans were discussed. A landowner only a few hundred feet from the Hinsdale camp stated that he had concerns with the landowner keeping a trailer park at the location in the future. He also had concerns with the road conditions and traffic, perhaps someone out enjoying the mud and tearing up the dirt roads. Alan Lietz, the...
Only a week after the presidential veto, TransCanada officials made their rounds talking with local officials and groups in town. Bud Anderson, an employee of Western Energy Planning who is an independent contractor for TransCanada, met with the city council on Monday, March 2. He updated the city council that that the lawsuit in Nebraska allowed TransCanada to obtain the remaining land needed in Nebrask for the pipeline, and that they currently have over 80 percent of the land for the pipeline there, and 100 percent of the land in Montana and...
Hello to the Hi-Line from your Capitol in Helena. The 64th Montana Legislature is at the halfway point. The easy work has been done and the hard decisions are before us. The House and Senate leadership are working together and await the Executive branch to join in. There any many pieces to the puzzle, we would like them all to fit, but reality is, they will not. We have proposed, through a series of healthcare bills, that will take care of the needy by “getting the right services to the right people.” We are trying to fill the poverty hole cre...
As things possibly could be moving forward, slowly, with the Keystone XL Pipeline, the Valley County Planning Board is also moving forward with discussions on two construction workforce camps that could be placed in the county. A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3 in the community room at the Valley County Courthouse at 7 p.m. to comment on the proposed work camps near Hinsdale and Nashua. The public will be able to comment in advance of the recommendation to the county commissioners for the camps, one near the gas plant between...
The Valley County Commissioners raised their grazing fees at their weekly meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Commissioner Bruce Peterson said that the county has roughly around 16,000 acres that is grazed, with about 11 different leases with an average of 2,500 AUM (Animal Units per Month). Peterson explained that the state also raised their grazing fees this year; they went up from $11.41 up to about $14.41. They county raised their fees from $9.35 to $11.50. He said that in the last three years the state and county have been raising their fees to...
July • While the flood of 2011 is still a topic of conversation, necessary repair work at Fort Peck Dam is ongoing. Even though several repair projects have been completed, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers continues work on the Fort Peck spillway. Consequently the 2011 discharge caused a lot of erosion. The spillway ran for over four months. Downstream dams along the Missouri River are also undergoing flood repairs. The projects, costing around $45 million, are coming closer to completion. • Wh...
There won’t be any huge celebrations marking one year. No balloons, no flowers, no parties, only a silent passing of the one year anniversary since Valley County took over the Wokal Field Glasgow International Airport. While the airport is out of sight, out of mind for most of the local community, the economic impact is big enough it can be felt. There hasn’t been a recent economic impact study on the local airport, but the most recent one finished in 2012 estimates statewide airports provide 18,800 jobs, have over $600 million in payroll and...
A Glasgow native has been making trips up to the area as a civil engineer with plans to develop some land just outside Glasgow city limits. Travis West made an appearance at the Valley County Commissioners meeting to get subdivision plans accepted on Skylark Road. West showed commissioners areas of easement and access road to five lots plotted out near the Ridge Runners Saddle Club building. Some issues on conditions were discussed and the possible need for the property owner to deal with drainage issues on one lot were worked out. Language...
The Valley County courthouse had visits from the auditors recently. Their responses came in with some minor suggestions. The full report is usually available after the the New Year. The auditors suggested segregated collections and budgets for the airport, refuse and weed departments. They also suggested that they consider taking a supply inventory so the county can track property and items. Another suggestion was that formal financial procedures and policies be made for the county's fair board and the health department. The county...
Creating desired results in challenging times was the opening for the 89th Rocky Mountain Fair Convention held Nov. 13-15. At present there are 111 fairs in this association and 168 service members. For those of you who are not familiar, this is one of the venues where fair board members and managers attend to preview and visit with individual service members who showcase their acts, music and carnivals in hopes that fairs will book them for their upcoming fair season. So for those reading this can get a good picture, this particular convention... Full story
Valley County commissioners have been working with tribal authorities to place signs alerting drivers about the sharp turn on Wiota Road where a local teenager lost his life. The commissioners also canvassed the county votes on Monday, Nov. 17. Canvassing the vote wrapped up elections in the county for 2014. The commissioners reported that several cameras were being added around the jail and courthouse. Renee Clampitt, planner/911/GIS supervisor, explained that the cameras being installed will help with some blind spots. The same security...
Dear Valley County Voters: There has been a great deal of articles with ambiguous information and questions regarding a variety of issues that relate to budgets and the administration of Valley County. These statements could be misconstrued and lead someone to believe that the Valley County Commissioners are not doing their job, and that is not the fact. The Valley County Commissioners' office is open to anyone to come in and visit. All financial activity is recorded and available to the public. It is the responsibility of people who look at...
As election season comes towards a close and voters, who might not have kept up with all the changes in the last few months, might be wondering who made it to the final ballot. As sometimes heated battles have come up between the candidates there have been a few changes. One of the more notable changes that took place on a higher level in our state include John Walsh stepping down from the Democratic candidacy for U.S. Senate after a plagiarism issue that came up and he tried to take the foot out of his mouth after stating that PTSD (Post Traum...
As flood waters receded in late August, Valley County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Rick Seiler started working on figuring how much damage existed. Those numbers began to rise in Valley County, along with those in nearby Musselshell, Petroleum, Blaine and Carter counties and the Fort Belknap Reservation. The preliminary assessment of damages in Valley County added up to almost $958,000. Combined all areas are at about $1.6 million in damages, with Fort Belknap reporting around $53,000, Carter County $37,000, Musselshell $55,000...
While the ballots won't be ready for voters for a few more weeks, a bison ordinance has been discussed and worked on with Valley County commissioners and the Valley County Conservation District Board. The conservation board members met with county commissioners on June 18 to discuss an ordinance that would protect property owners from bison/buffalo grazing. According to the county commissioner meeting minutes, the county attorney advised that the documents were from McCone County and what they had used for an ordinance. Jeff Pattison explained...
Dear Editor: The Glasgow City-County Library Board would like to take this opportunity to recognize Emily Wilson for her efforts on behalf of the library for the past year and a half. We wish her well as she and her family leave for Texas to be closer to their extended family. Emily has directed a number of projects in her tenure as library director, and we are very appreciative of those efforts. We also want to recognize several entities that have helped provide new shelving, book bins, and carpeting in the children's area: The Valley County...
Have you ever wondered where that water went after you flushed it? How about all the wastewater that comes from your sinks and showers? While to some it's a mystery they try their best to avoid, others understand the frustrations of home septic systems. So knowing what happens to some septic tanks after a flood can make some cringe. Floods can cause all kinds of contamination as not only septic systems can overflow, become damaged or lift from the ground. What might not be known to many is that...
The Valley County budget is still getting some last minute adjustments before the commissioners look at passing the finalized budget in the upcoming week. While there wasn't a lot of changes made from the previous year there were a few noteworthy items. The commissioners support a 1.5 percent raise in salary for county employees across all departments. That increase adds to about 30 cents an hour for employees. The raise was eligible for employees who worked at least 20 hours and were permanent employees who qualify for insurance, leaving...
Valley County isn't a stranger to flooding. The occurrence of flooding is about once every two and a half years according to records at the Glasgow National Weather Service. Usually those floods take place in spring as the snow melts into the rivers and creeks that surround the area. This time an unusual amount of rain fell later in the summer, catching everyone a little off guard. A major difference from the 2011 flood is that the waters came fast and are receding quickly. Flood waters in 2011... Full story
Valley County Clerk Lynne Nyquist, right, swears in Brenda Anderson, left, as county treasurer and Teddi Seiler at the county courthouse in Glasgow. Anderson succeeds longtime treasurer Jennie Reinhardt, who retired July 31. The county commissioners appointed Anderson to the post.... Full story
Valley County government is working to fix a problem regarding financial issues said to be discovered in early June and late May. According to county commission meeting minutes for the month of June, billing issues were discovered and brought to the commissioners' attention. New Valley County Health Department Supervisor Connie Boreson reported that several billings would possibly be rejected due to billings not being sent out for several months. She said the health department also lost out on an immunization grant this year because... Full story
