Berget, Roll share duties for ‘state of the city’ talk
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
January 21, 2009
Accomplishments in updating Libby’s municipal water system, improving parks and maintaining stable finances were highlighted during a "state of the city" address given by Mayor Doug Roll and former mayor Tony Berget during a Libby Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon last week.
Berget, who resigned his position as mayor after being elected county commissioner in November, opened the discussion by noting a recent two-year agreement with International Paper under which the city received $400,000 in partial compensation for continuing underground contamination that precludes the use of water wells by city residents.
While it will be up to the current mayor and city council to decide how the money will be used, "One of the thoughts was to reduce costs for sprinkling in the summer," Berget said.
Berget said he’s proud of the work the city has done over the past decade to replace dilapidated water mains. He estimated that 5 to 10 percent of the city’s mains – starting with trouble spots – have been replaced.
"I know it isn’t that much, but you’ve got to start somewhere," he said.
Berget also noted the completion last year of a new pavilion at Riverfront Park and the community tennis courts next to City Hall. While both projects were largely a result of volunteer efforts, city crews spent hundreds of hours working on each, Berget said.
"Those people were dedicated," Berget said of U Serve Libby Inc., the group that spearheaded the tennis court project. "We’ve got to support them, and that’s what we did."
Taking over from Berget, Roll offered assurances that the city of Libby has not been hit too hard by the current financial crunch. Although Kalispell was hit hard by the collapse of the building boom and the failure of expected revenues to materialize, Libby’s property tax revenues have been growing steadily, if modestly, at a rate of an additional $10,000 to $15,000 per year, he said.
"I guess my point is that revenue is stable relatively," Roll said. "The city is stable financially."
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Editor’s Note: See the January 20, 2009 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, now on Tuesday, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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