Ranger-Review's Podcast: Recent Episodes
Elizabeth
By Brendan Heidner
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
With the weather getting hotter as the summer goes on, the Mayor of Glendive shared a few reminders at the conclusion of Tuesday’s Glendive City Council meeting about helping others stay safe.
“Glendive and Eastern Montana has been experience quite a bit of hot weather over the last few weeks,” Mayor Teresea Olson said. “Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes that same village to keep everyone and everything healthy.”
She noted that it is crucial to check on our neighbors, friends and family to make sure their air conditioners work properly, they have adequate food and water and everyone is staying hydrated.
“There’s times when all of us misstep in our daily lives, such as forgetting to practice important safety measures for ourselves and those we care for,” Olson said.
With the hotter temperatures, she noted that people should be careful when using there car after letting it sit in the sun for so long.
“The temperatures inside a vehicle can raise almost 10 degrees every ten minutes even with the windows cracked,” she said.
As an example, Olson noted that a parked car in direct sunlight of 72 F can reach an internal temperature of about 119 F in a single hour.
Additionally, this can result in dangerous conditions for both humans and pets if left in the car for too long.
“Sometimes when we park in the shade, it moves (and) the sun moves, so if we see somebody’s pets that got left (in the car) and the shade moved, let’s just do a friendly reminder for them,” Olson said.
Moreover, Olson encouraged everyone to look out for the people around them and ensure that everyone is safe on days with extreme temperatures.
“If we see our neighbors or a friend struggling to keep up with their care for themselves, their children or their pets, please offer to help and if you’re the community member struggling, please accept (the help),” she said. “If somebody’s life or a pets life is in danger, of course that’s an emergency and then practice that as well, but let’s all just remember to be good neighbors to each other.”
To listen to Olson’s full comment, listen on our website at www.rangerreview.com/heatwave .
Reach Brendan Heidner at news@rangerreview.com.
After several requests to increase wages for various employees of the City of Glendive, one member of the Glendive City Council provided public comment to explain the process they follow in their considerations.
Glendive City Judge Kerry Burman asked the Personnel Committee of the Glendive City Council on Monday if they would consider raising the City Court clerk’s wages to compare closer to neighboring communities.
According to Burman’s research, Miles City’s court clerk’s wage is $20.24 per hour whereas Burman’s clerk currently makes under $17 per hour.
“I’m looking at some way that we can make a great comparison for me in order to keep a good clerk,” Burman said, noting she is currently recruiting an applicant who will take a large pay cut once she starts as the Glendive city court clerk.
“I do actually have one potential applicant (and) she will be leaving a $25-an-hour job to come take a $16-some an hour job,” Burman noted.
Although not on the Personnel Committee, Councilman Rhett Coon gave a public comment in response to Burman’s request and several others that have come before her’s recently.
“Just so people understand, it’s not that we don’t agree with giving people raises and stuff, it’s just scratching our heads and trying to figure out how the whole thing works because we have to treat the city as a whole and it’s very tough,” Coon said.
Although city employees typically receive an incremental increase in wage every year of about 2%, Coon noted that amount adds up quicker than many might think.
“It’s six figures every year wages go up just with a 2% increase in wages and we don’t get more revenue or money into the city every year when those increases happen,” Coon said. “So, wages continue to go up, we don’t get any more money that comes in and so we have to figure out basically cuts in other places to be able to try and get that money.”
Coon added that they value each of the city’s employee’s and want to see each one get the wages that they deserve, however it is just a matter of whether they can budget for them or not.
“Dispatch, police officers, public works people, clerks, everybody is very valued and it would be nice to be able to pay everyone (more), it’s just how do we get there and how do we look at the budget,” Coon said. “I just wanted to let people know that we’re not against trying to get everybody a competitive wage and salary, it’s just a difficult challenge.”
Listen to Coon’s full comment at www.rangerreview.com/pay.
Reach Brendan Heidner at news@rangerreview.com.
By Brendan Heidner
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
In response to some signs hanging around town that contain profane words, Glendive City Councilman Gerald Reichert shared his sentiments on Tuesday night’s Glendive City Council meeting.
His remarks stem from a question that Glendive resident Phil Corbett brought before the Ordinance Committee of the Glendive City Council on Wednesday, June 29 asking about any obscenity laws in Glendive prohibiting such displays.
“This is one of those things that kind of involves behavior, but the difference between this and everything else I can think of is I bet you can’t find five people in the City of Glendive that would say out loud that that kind of display is appropriate and they’re all for it,” Reichert said.
In the Ordinance Committee meeting, Councilman Leon Baker referenced the Cohen v. California case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971 dealing with a similar issue.
Paul Robert Cohen was convicted of violating California’s breach of peace law by wearing a jacket with a similar profane expression directed at the Vietnam-era draft into a Los Angeles, Calif. courthouse. Cohen’s conviction was later reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Reichert noted that he may personally use similar profanities in private, but never in public out of respect for people around him.
“It’s embarrassing to me that it exists in our community,” Reichert said. “I take great pride in this community and I believe in everybody here, that’s why I’m making the comment.”
Although Reichert disagrees with the public display of the profane signs, he noted that the City of Glendive cannot legislate laws against what is someone else’s personal responsibility.
“It’s free speech, but it just seems appalling to me and I feel badly for the people that put it up, I’m kind of embarrassed for them,” Reichert said.
Listen to Reichert’s full comments on the Ranger-Review website at www.rangerreview.com.
Reach Brendan Heidner at news@rangerreview.com.