Government briefs

CWD

The Libby City Council passed a resolution at their regular meeting Monday authorizing the Libby Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to harvest and collect deer from public property for sampling for Chronic Wasting Disease.

Neil Anderson, disease expert and wildlife program manager with FWP, told the council that they have taken 37 samples from road killed or symptomatic deer since testing began.

From those, they have 27 results, with five of them positive.

All but one of the positive samples have come from within the Libby city limits. The fifth deer sample was collected just north of the city, near mile marker 1 on Kootenai River Road.

TIF

In a vote that was split 4-2, the Libby City Council approved spending $4,250 out of the Community Development Fund to conduct a tax increment financing study.

Tax increment financing is an option available to municipalities intended to foster economic development and growth.

A developer who receives tax increment financing is permitted to not pay the additional taxes they would owe due to increasing the value of a property they are building on. They still have to pay the taxes they would pay if the land were vacant.

However, the money isn’t just held onto by the developer. The difference in taxes they don’t pay has to be invested into things such as sidewalks, water lines or even equipment that is beneficial to the municipality and residents.

Council member Gary Beach said that the money would pay for a professional analysis to determine if there are areas in Libby where tax increment financing could be of assistance.

Council members Rob Dufficy and Hugh Taylor were the two members who voted against spending the money.