At their monthly regular board meeting on January 8, the Huntley Project Irrigation District announced the resignation of Commissioner Dennis Adams. Adams stated he decided to step down from the position due to personal reasons but plans to continue to help the district with a current audit as well as formalities with the ongoing USDA water savings project. The board also announced they had selected Marc Vogel to fill the position until the board’s regular election at their annual meeting at Homesteader Hall on Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm. Commissioners hold a three-year term for the district board. According to Secretary/Treasurer Sandra Rush, Vogel was the only candidate to enter the race for Adam’s seat that was up for election this year; the irrigation district distributes election materials to members prior to the December deadline to submit a bid for candidacy.
Other business the board discussed included an encroachment easement application filed by Nemont for the installation of a communications service line to the Huntley Project Museum. The board expressed concern about the size of the easement as the original application, submitted last month, requested a 20-foot-wide easement through museum property that is managed by HPID. Nemont updated their application to request just a 10-foot-wide easement and the promise that the easement would only be for service line. The board decided to contact Museum Executive Director Neal Gunnels to confirm the easement location before approval.
The board also discussed the progress for the upcoming USDA water savings project. The board discussed the federal executive branch administration change to take place on January 20 and the implications for the project. Operations Manager Travis Kamp stated that the point of contact within the USDA had been appointed by the outgoing administration and once the new administration appoints their USDA officials then the irrigation district can expect the project to continue forward.
Additionally, Yellowstone County News (YCN) addressed the board to express concerns about the transparency of the board’s operations as they entered such a large publicly funded project. YCN presented the board with materials published by the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline pertaining to Montana’s Open Meeting Act (MOMA). YCN stated they believed the board had possibly violated the MOMA by deliberating and acting on issues without proper notice in their agendas and by deliberating and acting on issues within closed sessions. YCN presented the meeting minutes from December 2023 where the board had entered a closed session to discuss and act on the irrigation district encroachment permit policies. The board stated they had reservations about sharing information with the press due to numerous stories that they believed showed the board in a bad light. Outgoing Commissioner Adams read an excerpt from the materials provided by YCN which stated that under Title 2, Chapter 3, Line 203: “all meetings of governmental bodies of the state, political subdivisions or organizations supported in whole or in part by public funds shall be open to the public, including committees and subcommittees.” Adams stated the board collects fees from private landowners for district operations and that the board does not receive public funding on most years. The board stated they would keep YCN in mind when considering the transparency of the board’s operations.
With no other business the meeting was adjourned. The next HPID board meeting will be held at the district office on February 12 at 5pm.
