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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Packet 08.01.2023 AGENDA CITY OF LAUREL CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP TUESDAY, AUGUST 01, 2023 6:30 PM COUNCIL CHAMBERS Public Input: Citizens may address the Council regarding any item of City business that is not on tonight’s agenda. The duration for an individual speaking under Public Input is limited to three minutes. While all comments are welcome, the Council will not take action on any item not on the agenda. If a citizen would like to speak or comment regarding an item that is on tonight’s agenda, we ask that you wait until the agenda item is presented to the Council by the Mayor and the public is asked to comment by the Mayor. Once again, each speaker is limited to three minutes. Be advised, if a discussion item has an upcoming public hearing, we would request members of the public to reserve your comments until the public hearing. At the public hearing, the City Council will establish an official record that will include all of your comments, testimony and written evidence. The City Council will base its decision on the record created during the public hearing. Any comments provided tonight will not be included in the recor d or considered by the City Council. General Items Executive Review 1. Resolution - Resolution Approving Agreement Regarding School Resource Officer Program By And Between The City Of Laurel And Laurel Public Schools, District 7 & 7-70 Council Issues 2. Brush Truck Intercap Loan Discussion 3. Savage Cat Rescue Discussion Other Items Attendance at Upcoming Council Meeting Announcements The City makes reasonable accommodations for any known disability that may interfere with a person’s ability to participate in this meeting. Persons needing accommodation must notify the City Clerk’s Office to make needed arrangements. To make your request known, please call 406 -628-7431, Ext. 2, or write to City Clerk, PO Box 10, Laurel, MT 59044, or present your request at City Hall, 115 West First Street, Laurel, Montana. DATES TO REMEMBER 1 File Attachments for Item: 1. Resolution - Resolution Approving Agreement Regarding School Resource Officer Program By And Between The City Of Laurel And Laurel Public Schools, District 7 & 7-70 2 R23-__ Approve SRO Agreement RESOLUTION NO. R23-__ RESOLUTION APPROVING AGREEMENT REGARDING SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAM BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF LAUREL AND LAUREL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, DISTRICT 7 & 7-70 WHEREAS, the City of Laurel (hereinafter “the City”) and the Laurel Public Schools, District 7 & 7-70 (hereinafter “the District”) desire to maintain a cooperative and coordinated approach to deterring and addressing criminal activity on school property and at District sponsored events and activities; WHEREAS, Montana law authorizes the District to contract with the City to have municipal law enforcement provide a School Resource Officer (hereinafter “SRO”) and SRO- related law enforcement services; WHEREAS, Montana law further authorizes the District to levy for an appropriate portion of the costs the City incurs in paying wages, providing benefits, and providing transportation for law enforcement officers who are assigned to perform SRO duties in the District; and WHEREAS, the City and the District have agreed to an Agreement Regarding School Resource Officer Program (hereinafter “SRO Agreement”), which is attached hereto and incorporated herein. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Laurel, Montana: Section 1: Approval. The SRO Agreement by and between the City of Laurel and the District, a copy attached hereto and incorporated herein, is hereby approved. Section 2: Execution. The Mayor is hereby given authority to execute the SRO Agreement on behalf of the City. Introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council on the _____ day of August 2023 by Council Member _____. PASSED and APPROVED by the City Council of the City of Laurel, Montana on the _____ day of August 2023. APPROVED by the Mayor on the _____ day of August 2023. 3 R23-__ Approve SRO Agreement CITY OF LAUREL ___________________________ Dave Waggoner, Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ Kelly Strecker, Clerk-Treasurer APPROVED AS TO FORM: ______________________________ Michele L. Braukmann, Civil City Attorney 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 File Attachments for Item: 3. Savage Cat Rescue Discussion 13 From:City Mayor To:Brittney Moorman Subject:Fwd: In Support of Savage Cat Rescue Inc. Date:Wednesday, July 12, 2023 9:22:03 AM Attachments:image001.png Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Android From: Heather Holley <heather@bmslawmt.com> Sent: Monday, July 10, 2023 4:47:57 PM To: City Mayor <citymayor@laurel.mt.gov> Subject: In Support of Savage Cat Rescue Inc. Good afternoon Mr. Mayor, My name is Heather Holley. I am a legal assistant for a firm in Billings Montana. I have lived in Laurel since January 2012 with my husband, four kids and our pets. I have lived most of my life in Montana. We love living in Laurel. Love the people, love the small-town feel, the convenience of having schools within walking distance and the great people. I am very much an animal lover of all sorts, as I think you may be too, especially with your most recent post regarding the orphaned fawns. I enjoy the fact that you engage with everyone, seem open and honest with the community. The community of Laurel is of your best interest, and I appreciate that. I will be unable to attend then next city council meeting, but I would like to have my voice heard regarding something I find incredibly important. When I moved to Laurel, up until roughly 8 months ago, we had cats fighting in our alley and yard literally every single day and night. I would be woken up every night and have to go out and break up the giant gangs of unfixed male cats so that I could get some rest. We had cat poop in our yards. There were often deceased cats along the sides of main street leaving town etc. I love kitties and so many of them suffer due to the fact that we as humans have let them down. Since Lorie has come to the rescue it has been a complete 180! I haven’t heard a single cat fight in probably 8 months! I have noticed less young cats running the street. Lorie has been a god send! She has finally made a decent enough dent in the stray/feral cat community that we are noticing a difference. Cats like many other animals breed incredibly quick and unfortunately if we lose Lorie we will be right back to where we were in no time. I ask that you please take into consideration what she is asking, we are asking for. Lorie is asking the city to only contribute one third of the cost of taking in, vetting and adopting or returning to owner. That doesn’t even cover any extra costs. She has requested $3,500 from the city of Laurel to cover an estimated 120 cats for this year. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up assisting more. It is surprising to me that we do not have resources provided at all from the city regarding this matter. Especially since most towns (even 14 towns smaller than Laurel) have something in place regarding stray animals. Many others and I in and outside of the community help her as much as we can but she really needs assistance from the city. The Laurel Police Department refer any and all calls regarding cats directly to her without consent or assistance. She has graciously given her time and resources to help us out. She has finally put her foot down and will no longer help Laurel if she is not supported by the city, and rightfully so. Once she leaves, the cat population will begin to rise again. Large cat colonies can suffer from pretty nasty diseases which can easily spread, including to cats that have loving and caring homes. What Lorie is doing is positive for the community and I would love to see her be supported. We need her!!!!! I feel as though $3,500.00 for a whole year is a drop in the bucket. Please take my support into consideration. I know there are MANY others who feel the same and I sincerely hope they reach out to you or attend the meeting. Thank you for your time and consideration, Heather Holley Legal Assistant Billstein, Monson & Small PLLC 1555 Campus Way, Suite 201 Billings, MT 59102 (406) 656-6551 heather@bmslawmt.com 15 From:City Mayor To:Brittney Moorman Subject:Fwd: CATS!!! Date:Wednesday, July 12, 2023 9:23:11 AM Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Android From: snowjmpr@aol.com <snowjmpr@aol.com> Sent: Thursday, July 6, 2023 8:07:51 PM To: City Mayor <citymayor@laurel.mt.gov> Subject: CATS!!! Dear Mayor and City Council: In February 2022 we noticed considerable cat activity in our neighborhood that we have lived in for 23 years. Several kittens in our yard and at one time, 2 cats mating and 3 were "waiting". Didn't want our dog to injure, or, be injured by a protective momma cat so I bought a humane cat trap from Amazon and when it arrived I just stared at it because I had no clue what I was doing. As good fortune would have it, someone told me about a new cat rescue in the Laurel area called Savage Cat Rescue and I wasted no time contacting them! Lorie educated me as we set her traps in a known cat rendezvous area. It was cold, very cold. After about 2 hours I checked the trap and we had a big Tom cat in it! Battle scarred, dehydrated, hungry! Over the course of 3 weeks we captured four more cats! Feral. Female cats can start breeding at the age of 4 months and can become pregnant just a few days after giving birth to a litter. The population can explode exponentially if not controlled. Lori took care of the feral cat population in this neighborhood humanely. Each cat was vetted, immunized, chipped, and ear tipped(visually indicating spayed or neutered), and adopted out if it could be a house cat or adopted out as a barn cat so it could work for its shelter, water, and food. She is not only working to control the cat population, but also to decrease the spread of feline disease. I would greatly encourage the city council to support her request for $3,500 per year from the city of Laurel to continue to reduce the feral cat population and therefore reduce the risks associated with them. Her successful work in the past year and a half speaks for itself. Betsy Snow Laurel resident Sent from AOL on Android 16 From:City Mayor To:Brittney Moorman Subject:Fwd: Date:Wednesday, July 12, 2023 9:21:43 AM Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Android From: Jan Patenaude <janjanpat@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 1:01:17 PM To: City Mayor <citymayor@laurel.mt.gov> Subject: I sincerely hope you will agree to help Lorie Savage (Savage Cat Rescue). She is a Godsend for stray cats. We live east of Laurel and discovered that we had a mother cat and two kittens under our mobile home in Oct 21. She is the only person that responded to my request for help. She humanely trapped them and took them home to be vaccinated and adopted. We have 3 totally indoors cats. It breaks my heart to see all of the strays in Laurel. Lorie is doing a wonderful job attacking the problem of wild strays, getting them neutered and vaccinated as well as feeding them til they are adopted. We need to have her work here continue. Thank you 17 From:City Mayor To:Brittney Moorman Subject:Fwd: Savage Cat Rescue Date:Wednesday, July 12, 2023 9:22:38 AM Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Android From: Emineth Barb <basecme@yahoo.com> Sent: Sunday, July 9, 2023 1:38:41 PM To: City Mayor <citymayor@laurel.mt.gov> Subject: Savage Cat Rescue Laurel absolutely has a Ferrell cat problem and this organization needs the support of our city as well as individuals. Jodi Mackay should be letting me know when I can come to council and speak on this important issue! Respectfully, Barb Emineth Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android 18 From:City Mayor To:Brittney Moorman Subject:Fwd: Stray Cats in Laurel Date:Wednesday, July 12, 2023 9:22:23 AM Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Android From: Kelsie Robbie <kelsie.robbie@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, July 10, 2023 12:03:48 PM To: City Mayor <citymayor@laurel.mt.gov> Subject: Stray Cats in Laurel Dear Mayor Waggoner, I am writing you to address the stray cat problem in our neighborhood. We live on Durland Ave and take pride in keeping a nice curb appeal to our home. We understand that the South Side is an older neighborhood and not everyone will take pride in their homes but us and serval other families on our block work really hard to make it a nice place. With that being said the alley cats are getting out of control. We have lived in our home for 5 years and they have always been a problem but it is getting worse. We have nice patio furniture that is constantly peed/pooped on by these cats. We have invested in patios furniture covers but that will pee/poop on those too. We have been woken up many nights do to cat fights on our patio. We have a privacy fence and have tried many “cat repellent” options but nothing is working. I called the city and they referred me to Savage Cat rescue but she will no long take them. We were also told to live trap them and dispose of them humanely but we wouldn’t be asked to do that if it were a stray dog. We work so hard to keep our little home nice and a clean, fun backyard for our daughter. We just want a solution for this problem. Thank you, Kelsie Robbie 19 From:City Mayor To:Brittney Moorman Subject:Fwd: Stray cats Date:Wednesday, July 12, 2023 9:22:52 AM Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Android From: Jenna Jacoutot <jennajacoutot20@gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, July 8, 2023 9:16:13 AM To: City Mayor <citymayor@laurel.mt.gov> Subject: Stray cats Hello, good morning. I was just wondering what services are available in regards to stray and abandoned cats in the Laurel area? We see so many just running around. So many breeding and giving birth to kittens. Do we just let them reproduce to the extent that they get sick? A number of years ago there was a culling of cats because They all had distemper an no owners. For public health cats were rounded up and euthanised I do believe. It would be a shame to have it come back to that because of our lack of support. Thank you for your time, - Laurel resident Jenna 20 From:City Mayor To:Brittney Moorman Subject:Fwd: Feral cats Date:Thursday, July 13, 2023 10:31:44 AM Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Android From: Douglas Powell <powelldouglasj@yahoo.com> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2023 10:23:06 AM To: City Mayor <citymayor@laurel.mt.gov> Subject: Feral cats Hello Mr Wagner My name is Douglas Powell. I am a resident of Laurel MT. I live in the trailer park off of Yard Office Rd. My address is 2315 E. Maryland Ln. I am writing to you to ask for your help in resolving a problem. About 2 months ago I called the Laurel animal control about a feral cat problem. There were about 10 cats in my yard. The officer I spoke to told me that there is NO ordinance for cats and referred me to Lorie Howard. She does cat rescue. She came and helped me. Your Chief of Police, Stan Langve, has stated "Laurel doesn't have a feral cat problem". That simply is not true. There are ALOT of stray cats where I live. We tax payers in Laurel need an ordinance for cats like we have for dogs. It takes funding. Lorie Howard, who lives in Billings has been working on our cat issues and has dealt with about 200 cats in the past 18 months without any financial help from the City of Laurel. She simply can't keep doing it for free. How does one go about getting an ordinance and funding for this issue? Please call me at 406-281-3717 at your earliest convenience sir. Thank you in advance for your time and help resolve this issue. Douglas Powell. Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android 21