August 18, 2026

City of Townsend Council Meeting

August 18, 2026

Call to Order:  Mayor Rauser called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.  Council members in attendance are Peter Simon, Vivian Boaz, JB Howick, and Angie Wintrow.  Nate Brown was absent.  Also in attendance are Nichole & Shawn Simon, Sheri Heavrin, Jeff Langlinais, Georgia Wilde, Andrew Herrick, Jerry & Sharon Davis, Jamie Buck, Steve Cook, Eric Crusch, and Kari Williams. 

Pledge of Allegiance:  The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all. 

Public Comment:  Anything not on the agenda, but under the City’s jurisdiction.  (none)

Minutes from August 4, 2026:  JB motioned to approve the minutes.  Vivian seconded the motion.  All in favor, motion carried. 

Resolution No. 2026-R02: (Resolution to Accept a Donated Vehicle to the City Fire Department from the County Sheriff’s Office.)  Mayor Rauser read the Resolution in full.  Angie made a motion to approve Resolution No.2026-R02. Peter seconded the motion.  All in favor, motion carried.

Georgia Wilde:  Presented a “Pet Pantry”  that she’d like to have placed at McCarthy Park.  There is also one outside of Elkhorn Vet Clinic, so she thought the placement at McCarthy Park would allow a pantry on each end of town.  She is using one of the small libraries available to provide supplies for pets.  It will act as both a donation and supply library.  Eric stated that he’s all for the idea, but possibly not at McCarthy Park since there is youth soccer, baseball, and football teams that practice and play games at McCarthy Park.  Jerry Davis commented on McCarthy Park and stated that there would be a lot of people that would use it because they witness all of the dogs coming and going as they live across the street from McCarthy Park. He also stated that if the pantry was placed there, he and his wife would help maintain it.   Eric stated Heritage Park would work the best.  Angie suggested Holloway Park next to the pavilion.  Georgia stated that she would prefer Holloway Park to Heritage Park, just so the pantries were spaced more evenly across town.  JB requested that Georgia return to council in a few months (November 3rd) to report on the utilization of the pantry.  JB then made a motion to approve the Pet Pantry in Holloway Park.  Vivian seconded the motion.  All in favor, motion carried.  Peter requested that Georgia check in with Eric for the best placement of the pantry within Holloway Park. 

Jeff Langlinais:  Requested to paint an additional “Pickle Ball”  Court at the Tennis Courts.  He will do all of the work and use the left-over paint that is being stored at the City.  Sheri Heavrin weighed in on behalf of the school and stated that the tennis courts at McCarthy Park are the only tennis courts that the school has, however, she knows that the courts are used for various sports.  Peter asked if the extra lines will interfere with the tennis courts.  Eric stated that he texted the former tennis coach, and he doesn’t think that the pickle ball lines will interfere with the tennis court lines.  Angie motioned to approve painting the lines for pickle ball courts.  JB seconded the motion.  All in favor, motion carried.

Townsend Elementary Principal, Steve Cook, requesting a temporary street closure on North Pine on school days from 7:45-8:00 a.m.  Angie made a motion to approve the street closure and make it permanent.  Peter asked if an amendment to the current motion be made to include “until current traffic patterns change”.  JB seconded the motion.  All in favor, motion carried. 

Townsend High School Principal, Sheri Heavrin, requested a street closure for the Homecoming Parade on September 25th from 2:30-3:30 p.m.  It’s the same route as last year.  Angie asked if the steak fry is that night.  Sheri stated that has not been decided yet. JB stated that this is an annual event on a different date each year, which doesn’t allow the school to meet the 60-day deadline requirement, so there may need to be a modification to accommodate this.  Peter pointed out an error with the school’s insurance.  Sheri stated she would send in the correct insurance.  JB motioned to approve the request for the street closure for the Homecoming Parade, pending the corrected insurance.  Peter seconded the motion.  All in favor, motion carried.  All in favor, motion carried. 

Event Application from Eagle Beverage for September 15th:   Requesting a Street Closure for Clydesdale Horses.  The State has approved the highway closure, and they have everything in and ready for approval.  Angie made a motion to approve.  JB seconded the motion.  All in favor, motion carried. 

Determination of Tax Revenue and Mill Valuation:  Montana Department of Revenue provided the 2026 Certified Taxable Valuation Information and was presented by Mayor Rauser.  The Fiscal Year Ending 2027 determination of Tax Revenue and Mill Levy Limitations was presented.  JB motion to approve the 54.87 mills to be levied for FY2027.  Peter seconded the motion.  All in favor, motion carried. 

Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, Resolution No. 2026-R03:  Mayor Rauser read the Resolution as presented.  JB made a motion to adopt Resolution No. 2026-R03.  Peter seconded the motion.  All in favor, motion carried. 

Pending/Continuing Business:

Pool-                                                                                                                                                                                                Title I and II-                                                                                                                                                                                                      Fire Memorandum of Understanding-                                                                                                                                   Wage/Salary Update-                                                                                                                                                                          Telecommunications Franchise Ordinance Development-nearing presentation status to the council.  The final version has been delivered.                                                                                                           Animal Control Ordinance-Review and Revision-will resume in September

Round Table:

Public Comment

Public Works-Eric spoke and stated that they filled the new water tower for the second time and it was uneventful, which is good.  They won’t receive bacteria samples back until the following week so it will hopefully be online on Monday, August 24th.  He stated that the pot holes on I street will get fixed.  Mayor Rauser asked  if there is any activity on the North Cherry development.  Eric stated that they are going through sampling for gravel to make sure they’re building an adequate base before they go up.

Clerk– Kari distributed the July Bank Reconciliation and stated that the reconciliation for July was under $100 out of balance. Mayor Rauser stated that both Kari and Jenny have learned a lot, and they are continuing to work with Montana League of Cities and Towns and submitting bank reports to the State.

Fire Department-Shawn Simon stated that their new recruit, Mason, took the fire truck up to the fairgrounds and raised $410 for family in Broadwater County who lost their child.  He asked if there could be one designated parade route, and that the Fire Department be asked to help with the detours/blockades in advance.  He also asked that the parade participants not be allowed to throw anything that pops and scares the horses.

Mayor – Mayor Rauser stated that the City has received two applications for the Animal Control/Compliance Officer position.  Interviews will be scheduled for next week.  Several council members volunteered to be part of the interview process.  Vivian and Peter will help interview along with Mayor Rauser and Eric. 

Council –

 Adjourn:   Angie made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Peter seconded the motion.  All in favor, motion carried.       

Next Meeting:  September 1, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.