By Ed Moreth 

Plains resident questions town's decay ordinance

 

Ed Moreth

NEW CHIEF – Plains Mayor Dan Rowan (right) congratulates Brian Josephson on being selected as the new town chief of police.

One Plains resident asked the mayor and the town council last Monday why a near four-year-old town law is not being enforced.

"I'm not trying to tell anyone what they have to do with their property, but I pay property taxes and I have to abide with the ordinance, so why don't others have to," said Calvin Williams, who has lived in the same house on Garber Street for some 18 years and wanted to know why town officials haven't taken some type action to make his next door neighbor clean up his place.

Williams questioned the judgment and prudence of the decay ordinance when it was debated in 2018. He said he was mostly concerned with the wording about vehicles, which was modified or taken out, but once it became law he was behind it and looked forward to his neighbor's home getting cleaned up. He noticed some initial improvement, but then things went back to they way it had been. He said his neighbor got rid of one vehicle, but it was soon replaced with a trailer that someone is using as a residence.

Williams said the neighbor's place is more than an eyesore and is a health hazard and depreciates his property value. He said he complained to Mayor Dan Rowan, members of the town council and the police department. One officer suggested he take his complaint to the Sanders County Sheriff's Office, although Williams is uncertain why he said to go to the county.

The decay ordinance was unanimously passed and it went into law in July 2018. Rowan believes progress has been made since the law came into effect, though he has seen some setbacks.

Two of the major offenders put up fences around part of their property, but stopped before completion. "There has been progress. It's like telling your kid to clean up the room, but it won't stay clean forever," said Rowan. He added that one of them cleaned up the yard and it was looking good for awhile, but he said it looks worse now than before.

The mayor said the town has had only a couple complaints since the ordinance went into effect. He said the police chief has talked with offenders, but no citations have been issued. Williams said that he filed a written complaint three weeks ago. Rowan said that to make an official complaint a person must fill out a form at City Hall. In addition, the mayor said he took a look at the house Williams complained about on Saturday and to him it looked as though the owner was working to get it cleaned up. He said the police chief had also recently been there and agreed that it looked as though progress was being made.

Rowan also announced his selection of the new chief of police - Brian Josephson - who will replace the retiring Shawn Emmett, who's been with the department for 20 years. Four council members voted in favor of Rowan's selection and one member abstained.

Four men applied for the position, all with law enforcement background, including Plains officers Chris Reyna and Jared Hutchings. A Hot Springs officer also applied. Because all four applicants had law enforcement background, they didn't have to go through the town's police commission. Rowan reviewed the applications with the help of judges Doug Dryden and Tom Collins and all four were interviewed. He said it was a tough decision because all four were highly qualified.  

Rowan said Josephson was picked because of his extensive law enforcement experience, his demeanor, his known work ethic, and his connection with the community. Josephson grew up in Plains and was a Plains officer before moving on to the Sanders County Sheriff's Office in 2011. The 47-year-old Josephson has been a detective with the county for nine years, specializing in sexual and domestic violence.

"Plains is my hometown and this is where I want to finish my career," said Josephson, who had also served as a reserve officer in Plains and had been the Hot Springs police chief for a short time. He also worked as a detention officer in Gallatin County in Bozeman. Josephson said he has worked on several cases with the Plains Police Department and is looking forward to a new challenge. Emmett retires on June 30 and Josephson will have some overlap time with Emmett.

Emmett started as an officer in June 2002, being selected by then Mayor Dan Bates, who appointed him as chief two years later. Emmett has spent his entire 20 years in law enforcement serving the Town of Plains. "I plan to keep donating my time to the Plains Cemetery as the board chairman and help out wherever they need," said Emmett. "It has been an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Plains. I wish the Plains Police Department all the best and am sure they will continue to protect and serve the community to a high degree," he added.

The council unanimously voted to reappoint Tom Collins as the town judge for another four-year team. Collins has been the judge since June 2018. He's also been the judge for Thompson Falls and Hot Springs since 2020. "I enjoy being a city judge," said Collins. He said it's a privilege to connect with people in need of seeing a way forward after a violation. "Domestic violence and drug use break my heart, but I hope to help in those situations as well. I think the difference is very individual and longer term. I pray my influence can and will make a difference," added Collins.

Rowan said that work continues on the new lagoon with all three cells dug. He said the liners will go in soon. The foundation for the UV station is done and piping for the building has been installed. Prospect Construction, Inc. of Puyallup, Washington, and Missoula, had a delay in getting some parts, but Rowan said they still plan to be done by the end of September or early October.

Rowan said at the meeting that the staff of the Public Works Department have been busy working on road potholes. The staff has filled some 14,000 tons of asphalt in potholes in town, according to Greg Welty, who heads the department. Because public works is short-handed, Rowan himself was filling potholes and recently he ran the town's excavator for a road job.

It was announced that the E.L. Johnson Memorial Pool was to open Monday, June 13. The Plains Lions Club is in the process of getting the wading pool painted and would probably have it open in the near future. The next council meeting is rescheduled for Tuesday, July 5, due to Independence Day falling on the first Monday of the month.

 

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