Libby Council narrowly OKs two rec development items

In a pair of identical 3-2 votes at its April 16 meeting, the Libby City Council approved two related items about recreational development in the Libby area.

The first item was a recreation service agreement among the City of Libby, Lincoln County and the Libby Park Board. Effective May 1, the agreement is for each governing body to contribute $10,000 toward hiring a park district manager of projects to identify, develop and implement recreation projects.

According to the agreement, the position will be an independent contractor whose role will be subject to annual review and renewal for up to three years. Lincoln County will create and manage the account paying for the position, and the Libby District Road Foreman — Marc McCully — “will review and approve all expenditures and contractor invoices.”

The three parties involved in the agreement can terminate participation at any time with 10 days’ notice, though any funds committed to the current year “will remain in effect, unless otherwise agreed to by all parties.”

The second item was the independent contractor agreement for the position, which will be filled by Tony Petrusha. In effect until January 31, 2019, the agreement outlines Petrusha’s duties and sets his hourly rate at $35.

Among other duties, Petrusha is to establish a five-year plan “with priority given to trails, swimming pool, and the ice skating rink,” and to develop a “Greater Libby Area Trails Plan.”

On both items, Council members Gary Beach, Brian Zimmerman and Kristin Smith voted in favor, while Hugh Taylor and Peggy Williams were opposed.