City Council Discusses the Possibility of a Small Land Purchase

The Malta City Council was presented with Daniel Dahl’s proposal that the City of Malta purchases his +/- 6221 square foot lot located by the Trafton Park Arena for $3,000 by Mayor Demarais during the last council meeting on Tuesday, January 25.

After a good deal of discussion about the price and what the city would do with the lot, Councilperson Sintler moved to table the decision until the next council meeting. The motion was seconded by Councilperson Hicks and passed unanimously by roll call vote 3-0 with Councilperson Wiederrick absent from the meeting.

Mayor Demarais presented the council with copies of an email containing information about participating in the Regional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. Mitigation is defined by FEMA as, “sustained action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects.”

Councilperson Hicks moved to participate in the Regional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, seconded by Councilperson Rummel and passed with a 2-1 vote with Councilperson Sintler as the lone “nay” vote.

Mayor Demarais then informed the council that every year, the City of Malta has to decide whether to continue with the MMIA Employee Benefits Program. Councilperson Sintler moved to continue with the program. The motion was seconded by Councilperson Rummel and passed with a 3-0 roll-call vote.

During the department reports, Public Works Director Jim Truelove reported that the painting at the Event Center was near completion. All that remained to be painted was the front offices.

PWD Truelove informed the council that he was still waiting on a part to fix the sander. He said that the County had sanded the city streets after the freezing rain the past week and that he was really thankful for the County’s help.

City Clerk Lorie Bond presented the council with the current check register, current shut-off list, overtime/vacation/sick leave reports and the expenditure and revenue, actual vs budget reports.

Clerk Bond then asked the council’s permission for Deputy Clerk Barrett and herself to attend the Municipal Institute in Bozeman on May 2-6, 2022. Mayor Demarais informed the council that he needed to attend the training also. Councilperson Rummel moved to send the three to the Municipal Institute, seconded by Councilperson Sintler and passed with a 3-0 roll-call vote.

Clerk Bond reported to the council that she had received a quick quote of $13,000 for what it would cost to purchase a new glass/railing system for the balcony in the gymnasium. Bond stated that the quote was much higher than she expected. After inspecting the current railing and much discussion, Mayor Demarais stated that he and PWD Truelove could make the needed improvements.

Bond then reported that insuring the Malta Event Center for the replacement value would cost the city an additional $3,906 annually and insuring the Event Center at purchase cost (stated value), would cost $1,735 annually. After much discussion, Councilperson Rummel moved to insure the Event Center for replacement cost. The motion was seconded by Councilperson Sintler and passed with a 3-0 roll-call vote.

During the other comments, Councilperson Hicks informed the council that he had been contacted about vehicles being parked on the streets that hadn’t been moved in a long time. PWD Truelove stated that he would check on the vehicles. This was followed by much discussion about the cars parked around the Central Avenue Pit Crew and what could be done about it.

The next Malta City Council meeting will be held on February 8, at 5:00 p.m. at Malta City Hall.