At the Boulder City Council meeting on Sept. 16:
- Councilors unanimously approved Police Chief Joe Canzona switching from an hourly pay rate to an annual salary, a move expected to save about $16,000 a year according to Mayor Rusty Giulio. Canzona was paid $23.15 an hour for a base yearly income of $48,152; his salary is $52,000 effective the pay period beginning Sept. 21. As a salaried employee Canzona is ineligible for overtime, on-call and call-out pay, which amounted to $17,432 in FY2019. Giulio said Canzona recommended the change to help balance the city’s budget for FY2020.
- Councilors unanimously approved a 2.8% pay raise for City Clerk Ellen Harne, Public Works Director Dennis Wortman and Public Works employee Perry Lepley. The raises went into effect the pay period beginning Sept. 21.
- The City Council signed off on a recently budgeted, 25-hours-a-week position created for the Public Works department. The permanent role will preclude the city from hiring seasonal employees for the department as it has done in the past. A job description must now be created before the city can look to hire someone.
- Councilors unanimously approved the second reading of Ordinance 2019-01, which repeals Ordinance 2008-02. The housekeeping move was necessary — following the June 17 adoption of the city’s redrawn boundaries — to repeal the previous city map.
- Speaking on behalf of the City Planning Board, Jefferson County Planner LaDana Hintz delivered that board’s recommendation that the City Council ask the Montana Department of Commerce to broaden application eligibility for the Boulder Development Fund’s Facade Improvement Program. The program’s current rules require an interested entity to have a business license; the board would like to expand eligibility to include Main Street facing entities such as Jefferson High School, the Masonic Lodge and homes that do not have business licenses but do have a desire to make improvements. So far no applications have been received. The City Council agreed to put the discussion item on the next meeting’s agenda.
- Councilors unanimously agreed to match a three-year, $52,065.50 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks grant aimed at improving city playgrounds. City Clerk Ellen Harne was instructed to ask Fish, Wildlife and Parks if it could extend the grant to four years, giving the city longer to fulfill its required $53,315.06 match and spend the funds. Representatives of Boulder Kiwanis previously told the City Council that their organization should know by January if it will receive a $10,000 grant to put toward the improvements.
- Councilors unanimously agreed cancelling the November 2019 general election for the Ward 2 seat currently filled by Michael “Bear” Taylor, as Taylor was the only person who filed to run for election to the seat. Taylor was appointed to the seat in January.
