City Council to weigh options in streetlight complaint

Source: Billings Gazette, Mont.self storageOct. 28--The Billings City Council will consider intervening in a Montana Public Service Commission case involving street-lighting charges when the council meets Monday.The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of City Hall at 220 N. 27th St.The council will also consider a request to expand an existing casino and vote on awarding a $4.5 million bid to construct a large wetlands-storm sewer project on the far West End.The council was asked to intervene in the PSC case by Leo Barsanti, of Billings, one of the petitioners in the complaint against NorthWestern Energy.That was at the last council meeting on Oct. 15. Because the deadline for formal intervention in the case was Oct. 25, meaning the council could not hold a public hearing and vote without calling a special session, no action was taken.After that meeting, however, a PSC attorney notified Billings City Attorney Brent Brooks that if there were good cause, the PSC would probably accept a late filing to intervene. The attorney also said that the city's need to give advance notice of its vote, and the fact that the city was notified of the case late in the process, would most likely be considered good cause.The complaint, filed by attorney Russ Doty, argues that NorthWestern Energy has been overcharging Montana ratepayers more than $2 million a year by levying an "ownership charge" on street-lighting infrastructure long after the equipment has been paid for.NorthWestern has maintained that the ownership charge is actually a lease or service charge for the lights, which is never paid off.A memo to the council from City Administrator Tina Volek says the council can take no action, attempt to intervene in the case, or approve a letter providing written comments to the PSC.Because intervention "may be a more time-consuming and, therefore costly, matter for the City," Volek said, city staff is recommending that the council simply submit a letter of support for the petitioners.The casino expansion involves the Lucky Diamond Casino at 3969 Grand Ave., which is seeking a special review to expand from 1,339迷利倉to 2,224 square feet.No one testified in opposition to the proposal when the Zoning Commission conducted a public hearing on Oct. 1. The commission subsequently voted 3-0 to recommend approval of the special review, with five proposed conditions, most of them standard conditions.The casino has a beer and wine license and is in a commercial area consisting mainly of retail stories, restaurants and casinos. If the casino does expand, the owners would have to secure additional parking from adjacent property owners or obtain a variance from the city.As for the Shiloh Conservation Area, CMG Construction's bid of $4,482,231 was the lowest of six bids submitted for the project. The conservation area will be a 70-acre recreational site with a large lake and wetlands that will be used to naturally remove nutrients from stormwater and serve as a detention pond during heavy rains.The parcel of city-owned land is located at King Avenue West and Shiloh Road, at the confluence of the Shiloh Drain and Hogan's Slough. The project will be paid for through the sale of bonds that will be paid back with revenues from stormwater fees.The council will also vote on adjusting its meeting schedule for the rest of the year. By city code, the council is to hold a regular meeting on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, or on a Tuesday following a holiday. But the council can also cancel or reschedule a business meeting by majority vote.At its Oct. 21 work session, council members indicated they wanted to alter the meeting schedule to allow for strategic planning meetings and the holidays.If a resolution is approved by the council, it will hold business meetings on Tuesday, Nov. 12 (the day after Veterans Day); Monday, Nov. 18; and Monday, Dec. 9. There would be no meetings on Nov. 25, Thanksgiving week or on Monday, Dec. 23.In addition, the council would convene strategic planning meetings for its regular work sessions on Nov. 19 and Dec. 16.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Billings Gazette (Billings, Mont.) Visit the Billings Gazette (Billings, Mont.) at .billingsgazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉