Commissioners ask for Petty Creek road data
by John Q. Murray
Rep. Gordon Hendrick told the Chronicle Wednesday that Mineral County needs more information to consider Petty Creek's request to leave Missoula County and join Mineral County.
In these times of tight budgets, the county commissioners must know whether there would any ongoing costs in adding Missoula County precincts 19 and 20, he said.
The commissioners want more information about the cost of providing law enforcement and road maintenance.
Rep. Hendrick attended an initial meeting in May between Mineral County officials and organizers Larry Hayden and Jack Wilkinson, who said that Petty Creek pays high taxes to Missoula County and does not receive services in return. Because the area is within the Alberton School District and Alberton zip code, it is often ignored or forgotten by Missoula County, organizers said. For example, the precincts were not given an opportunity to participate in the West Valley Community Council.
The major issue is unwanted intrusion by Missoula County. Petty Creek just doesn't fit with Missoula County, and would be a much better fit with Mineral County, the organizers explained.
"They feel like the unwanted stepchild out there," Rep. Hendrick said. "They are not getting the service they need but paying the high taxes for it. I'd be up in arms over that too, if I was them."
At the time of the May meeting, the 2009 tax assessments had not yet been released. The 125 homes in Precinct 19 represented a tax base of $253,663.58 Those tax values have likely changed since May, Rep. Hendrick pointed out.
These included 13 homes on Old Petty Creek Road, 43 homes on Petty Creek Road, 29 on West Fork Petty Creek Road, 11 on Bible Lane, the Montana Rail Link property on Bible Lane, and 28 properties on Southside Road. Precinct 20 would include another 50 homes.
Missoula County has a precedent for considering cessions to adjacent counties, Rep. Hendrick said, citing a procedure developed for Lake County. In this case, the change would be simplified because the western border of the Petty Creek area is Mineral County.
The meeting also included the county commissioners, Sharon Patterson from the Mineral County Extension, Cindy Grimm of the commissioners' office, County Road Foreman Jason McLees, Clerk of District Court Kathleen Brown, and County Attorney Shaun Donovan.
Petty Creek Road is scheduled to be paved as part of a federal project administered by the Western Federal Lands Highway Division (WFLHD) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. An Environmental Assessment (EA) was released in May 2008 for public review.
Project Manager Greg Gifford told the Chronicle Wednesday that WFLHD is in the process of drafting responses to the comments and revising the EA with updated information. The revised Environmental Assessment should be available for public comment the week of November 16.
"It will be posted on the project web site and probably several hard copies in the neighborhood. We are still shooting for construction starting in 2011," Greg said.
Rep. Hendrick promised to research the possibility of Petty Creek joining Mineral County during an Oct. 24 candidate forum in Alberton.
Some have also advocated creating a new county that stretched from Alberton to Frenchtown. It would be Montana's 57th county.
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See also:
Petty Creek secession meeting minutes, http://www.clarkforkchronicle.com/art...0085029777
The Petty Creek road project, Western Federal Lands Highway Administration website, http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/montana.htm
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Editor's Note, Nov. 11: One sentence was changed to prevent confusion about Missoula County's approach to Lake County. The previous sentence read: "Missoula County has a precedent for giving land to adjacent counties, Rep. Hendrick said, citing a recent cession to Lake County." The new sentence reads: "Missoula County has a precedent for considering cessions to adjacent counties, Rep. Hendrick said, citing a procedure developed for Lake County."
Rep. Gordon Hendrick told the Chronicle Wednesday that Mineral County needs more information to consider Petty Creek's request to leave Missoula County and join Mineral County.
In these times of tight budgets, the county commissioners must know whether there would any ongoing costs in adding Missoula County precincts 19 and 20, he said.
The commissioners want more information about the cost of providing law enforcement and road maintenance.
Rep. Hendrick attended an initial meeting in May between Mineral County officials and organizers Larry Hayden and Jack Wilkinson, who said that Petty Creek pays high taxes to Missoula County and does not receive services in return. Because the area is within the Alberton School District and Alberton zip code, it is often ignored or forgotten by Missoula County, organizers said. For example, the precincts were not given an opportunity to participate in the West Valley Community Council.
The major issue is unwanted intrusion by Missoula County. Petty Creek just doesn't fit with Missoula County, and would be a much better fit with Mineral County, the organizers explained.
"They feel like the unwanted stepchild out there," Rep. Hendrick said. "They are not getting the service they need but paying the high taxes for it. I'd be up in arms over that too, if I was them."
At the time of the May meeting, the 2009 tax assessments had not yet been released. The 125 homes in Precinct 19 represented a tax base of $253,663.58 Those tax values have likely changed since May, Rep. Hendrick pointed out.
These included 13 homes on Old Petty Creek Road, 43 homes on Petty Creek Road, 29 on West Fork Petty Creek Road, 11 on Bible Lane, the Montana Rail Link property on Bible Lane, and 28 properties on Southside Road. Precinct 20 would include another 50 homes.
Missoula County has a precedent for considering cessions to adjacent counties, Rep. Hendrick said, citing a procedure developed for Lake County. In this case, the change would be simplified because the western border of the Petty Creek area is Mineral County.
The meeting also included the county commissioners, Sharon Patterson from the Mineral County Extension, Cindy Grimm of the commissioners' office, County Road Foreman Jason McLees, Clerk of District Court Kathleen Brown, and County Attorney Shaun Donovan.
Petty Creek Road is scheduled to be paved as part of a federal project administered by the Western Federal Lands Highway Division (WFLHD) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. An Environmental Assessment (EA) was released in May 2008 for public review.
Project Manager Greg Gifford told the Chronicle Wednesday that WFLHD is in the process of drafting responses to the comments and revising the EA with updated information. The revised Environmental Assessment should be available for public comment the week of November 16.
"It will be posted on the project web site and probably several hard copies in the neighborhood. We are still shooting for construction starting in 2011," Greg said.
Rep. Hendrick promised to research the possibility of Petty Creek joining Mineral County during an Oct. 24 candidate forum in Alberton.
Some have also advocated creating a new county that stretched from Alberton to Frenchtown. It would be Montana's 57th county.
###
See also:
Petty Creek secession meeting minutes, http://www.clarkforkchronicle.com/art...0085029777
The Petty Creek road project, Western Federal Lands Highway Administration website, http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/montana.htm
###
Editor's Note, Nov. 11: One sentence was changed to prevent confusion about Missoula County's approach to Lake County. The previous sentence read: "Missoula County has a precedent for giving land to adjacent counties, Rep. Hendrick said, citing a recent cession to Lake County." The new sentence reads: "Missoula County has a precedent for considering cessions to adjacent counties, Rep. Hendrick said, citing a procedure developed for Lake County."