[MissoulaGov] Committee Update 3-18-09

[Paradigm1 at aol.com]

Hi Bob... These updates are great-- thank you very much! 
It will be interesting to learn how talking on a CB  or Two  way Radio while 
driving, is less dangerous than talking on a phone  ?
 
Carl P.
 
 
In a message dated 3/19/2009 9:39:22 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time,  
echilders at ci.missoula.mt.us writes:

Thanks,  Bob. Wonderful job. As I mentioned on the Council floor, I wish John 
H. would  do one.
The leash conversation is likely to be spirited. Judging from  public 
comments and from my previous experience,  we'll also discuss dogs  in-town. And 
probably leashing cats, before we're done. :)

Ed Childers, City Council, Ward6

Bob Jaffe wrote:  
 
Greetings, 
We changed things up today and started with Public Works  this morning.  We 
discussed the situation with the right of way  vacations on Miller Creek road. 
Here is a very brief synopsis for folks who  are unfamiliar. 
We are doing a project to rebuild the intersection  between upper and lower 
miller creek on down to the Walmart.  The  project requires some right of way 
acquisition. During the process of  researching the right of way boundaries it 
was discovered that over 100  years ago additional right of way was 
established that no one was aware  of.  This additional right of way expanded the public 
property right  through some of the homes on the west side of miller creek 
road. It goes  without saying that the folks affected were not so happy. What 
was a  negotiation to sell us right of way turned into a negotiation to ask us 
to  vacate right of way. The City was not to hot on the idea of vacating right  
of way that we would have to buy back later the next time the road needed to  
expand. 
So the engineering folks drafted up what the anticipated  future needs would 
be and we will vacate the balance. 
In Conservation we had interviews and made appointments  to the greenhouse 
gas committee. We had four applicants for one position. We  picked one but were 
so impressed with the other applicants that we want to  talk to the committee 
about expanding their membership so we can also  appoint the others. Recently 
this committee has become much more active and  is actually taking on work 
projects. It seems wrong to turn down such  qualified people who want to 
volunteer. 
In PAZ we did six interviews for three spots on the  historic preservation 
committee.  For the first time since I have been  chair of the committee we have 
an open PAZ schedule. We may actually skip  PAZ for a few weeks until the 
zoning update stuff makes it through planning  board. I assume this is indicative 
of the building slowdown. 
In Public Safety we discussed the driving with cell phone  ordinance.  CB and 
two way radios have been removed from the proposal.  Discussion focused on 
having different rules in Missoula from the rest of  the state; Primary or 
secondary offence; are the reckless driving laws  already adequate. We set a public 
hearing for I believe April  13th. 
Then we had a joint Public Safety and Conservation  meeting to discuss the 
conservation land leash laws.  The press was  there for that one. We had TV 
cameras and Missoulian photographers and a  bunch of public comment. We mostly 
just walked through the history of the  subject from the last five or so years. 
The likely outcome of all this is  that there will be work done in the context 
of our conservation lands  management plan to establish a policy.  Then we 
will modify ordinance  as needed to memorialize that policy. A great deal of the 
public comment  received to the council and in conversations I have had with 
people is in  regards to dogs in parks and on the commuter trails. Dogs are 
required to be  on leashes in these places. The current issue before council 
pertains only  to the north hills, mount jumbo, and the kim Williams trail east of 
the  university. 
We finished the day with committee of the whole to  discuss the revisions to 
the ward boundaries and a resolution regarding  transportation funding. By law 
we are required to keep the wards equal to  maintain equal rights of the 
electors. The courts have set the bar at around  10% variance between wards. Based 
on our best estimates we have a 13%  variance with ward two being too large. 
The best way to fix it is to shift  the population clockwise around the map. 
So part of ward two goes to one,  part of one then goes to three, three then to 
four. Five and six are about  right the way they are.  
So the proposal has all of the northside now part of ward  one.  If Mr. 
Hendrickson is considering another term this is good news  for him. The University 
becomes part of ward three. I plan to run again so  this is probably good news 
for me. Unless I end up running against someone  more liberal than me. I 
believe I have become more conservative during my  term. There is something about 
this experience that pulls you towards the  middle. The area southeast of 
Arthur and Beckwith goes to ward four. I’ll  miss Molly but probably not Philip. 
The Wapikia neighborhood goes to ward  five. I don’t think ward six changes. 
The transportation funding resolution came out of TTAC.  It outlines the 
various ways we are being screwed on transportation funding  by DOT and the state. 
 John Hendrickson, Dick, Renee, and Lynn voted  against the resolution. Mr. 
Hendrickson suggested that he would like to put  forth a minority report 
countering the request for more equitable  distribution of funds to Missoula. I look 
forward to seeing this minority  report because I am a little baffled by the 
suggestion. I encourage folks to  read the resolution. We are being robbed to 
support incredibly irresponsible  funding priorities and bloated DOT 
bureaucracy.  
_ftp://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/Packets/Council/2009/2009-03-23/TransportationRes
olution.pdf_ 
(ftp://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/Packets/Council/2009/2009-03-23/TransportationResolution.pdf)  
Thanks for your interest, 
Bob Jaffe 
Missoula City Council, Ward 3




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