City Council Meets In New Chambers

Enjoying the first meeting in their brand new City Hall chambers, the Sidney City Council conducted business on Monday, May 6.

“It’s kind of a special night for us,” Sidney Mayor Rick Norby said early in the meeting.

Clerk/treasurer Jessica Chamberlin said the new chambers feature the technology needed for council and committee meetings to be professionally recorded and then put on the city’s website, cityofsidneymt.com, under the agendas and minutes tab.

Montana legislators passed House Bill 890 last year that requires agencies including the governing board of a county, the governing board of a municipality and school boards to record their public meetings.

“Legally, we’re obligated to start it July 1, but we will start as soon as we’re able,” Chamberlin said of the recordings.

During the meeting, a request by trap club president Kaden Everett to add a skeet range was unanimously approved by the council.

“I don’t have a problem as long as they are paying for it,” public works director Jeff Hintz said of the addition. The trap club will provide Hintz with a layout.

The council approved the first reading for updating the zoning code.

The major changes are intended to increase availability of housing options in residential and commercial districts, data mining center within industrial districts and a reduction of required parking for residential uses. State mandated changes include reducing required off street parking for residential uses to one space per dwelling unit and reducing the required off street parking for day care home to two spaces.

The motion approved by the zoning board included recommending that the city council has the parking commission research whether the city could require off-street parking for residential use in the central business district.

The budget and finance committee will begin holding meetings to work on the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget.

The city approved a short form agreement with Interstate Engineering for a drainage project on Red River Drive.

Councilman Frank DiFonzo said he’s impressed with the new blinking stop signs located at the intersection of Fourth Street and East Main.