Libby mayor addresses chamber of commerce

The Western News

Libby Mayor Tony Berget delivered the State of the City Address to the Libby Chamber of Commerce Wednesday.

Berget conveyed the successful and productive year of the city of Libby.

Berget began with the 2007 Libby Volunteer Fire Department report. The fire department responded to 207 fire calls, with an average of 10.2 man hours at each fire, according to information Berget received from Libby Fire Chief Tom Wood. An average of 18.8 firefighters attended the fires reported to the fire department. Approximately 2,177 man hours were spent at the fire scenes.

Volunteer firefighters also spent 2,904 hours in the classroom and performing field training in 2007. They also spent an average of 18 hours in regular business meetings, with 25 in attendance.

Of all the man hours calculated, 2,177 were spent at fires and 2,904 were spent training. For the 18 business meetings attended by 25 individuals, 450 hours were calculated for a total of 5,531 hours.

Berget went on to say that if manpower cost $20 per hour the Libby Volunteer Fire Department donated $110,620 in labor to the city of Libby and the Rural Fire District for 2007. This time doesn't include clean up after fires, investigation time, code enforcement, fire prevention, committee work or conventions.

In addition to the Libby Volunteer Fire Department report, Berget also discussed the many projects the city of Libby crew has performed in the last 12 months, including replacing water mains, especially in the 300 block of Montana Avenue in front of the newly-constructed Libby Volunteer Ambulance Barn. Also, 60 feet of water mains were replaced on 8th Street in Libby. Over 300 total feet of water mains were replaced within the city during 2007, Berget said. Crews work to replace sections of the water mains and strive to repair or replace one to two blocks of city water mains every year, Berget continued.

The water distribution crew works diligently to repair leaks and water breaks. They also must clear a path from the upper and lower reservoir and break ice when necessary to keep water flowing, Berget explained.

In 2007, city crews, which includes four to five employees, also plowed snow five times and there were 358 dump truck loads of snow removed from the city streets. Crews also sprayed 10,000 gallons of de-icer on the streets at 88 cents per gallon. Sand can't be used inside city limits due to air quality regulations, Berget explained.

The city receives approximately $308,000 in general taxes each year, Berget said.

"That's not a heck of a lot for the size of city we have," he admitted. "We're asking what you would like the city of Libby to do or not do, we're open for suggestions."

City crews are also responsible for the cemetery upkeep. Crews performed the work for 76 burials in 2007.

The number of building permits issued within the city increased from 2006. In 2007, 55 building permits were issued, up from 47 issued in 2006. The construction value of those permits increased four-fold, with the value of 2006 construction reaching $449,575 and the value of 2007 construction reached $1,863,971, according to information provided by Berget.

In 2007, many areas of road were also chip sealed, thanks to the help of Lincoln County, Berget said.

"We tried to focus on keeping the potholes at a minimum," he added.

In 2007, 38 residential permits were issued — including 12 new homes and one new duplex. That brought $1,863,971 of construction value to the area. In 2006, 21 permits were issued with two new homes included in the construction, which comparatively added $449,575 in construction value to the community. There were 55 building permits issued in 2007, which was up from 47 in 2006.

Commercial permits were down in 2007, with 17 issued bringing a total construction value of $1,502,050. In 2006, there were 25 issued with a total value of $2,714,315.

The total construction value for the city of Libby in 2007 was $3,365,710 and in 2006 the value reached $3,162,890. Total permit fees in 2007 were $18,532.65, which is just over half of 1 percent of the total construction value.

"People are buying into our future," Berget said. "Our economy's doing well, there's lots of home building."

In the coming months the city plans to continue water main replacement, replace sidewalks as funds allow and flush fire hydrants, test flows for fire protection and continue sweeping streets every Friday in the summer as time and resources allow due to air quality mandates. Throughout the city 40 acres of lawn must also be maintained.

Video conferencing was installed in December 2007 at a cost of $5,000 to allow judges to video conference with inmates without the inmates leaving the jail. This will save transportation costs, police department time and improve safety, Berget said.

A structure will be built by the Amish at Riverfront Park, which Berget said will be a tremendous asset to the community. Also on the forefront are talks regarding new soccer fields, an animal shelter and tennis courts.