Town hires new clerk, issues press release

On October 11, the Eagle reached out to the Town of Ekalaka for information regarding issues with the town's tax assessments and levies, as well as reports about citizens not receiving utility bills and/or payments by citizens that were not credited to their accounts in addition to the closure of Ekalaka Public Library.

The first mention of these issues in town council minutes was on September 21.

The official portion of those minutes read as follows:

"Budget hearing is coming up – Jen has reprinted the budget process. There was an incident that was missed (delinquent sewer charges and mill levies). Jen has spoken with several people – none of these taxes will be levied as the county should have been notified by July 7, 2022. We would be able to double up next delinquency if it's not over $1000 total. Jesi Pierson stated that the mill levies should have been sent to the county – time is very tight and this is a very serious issue. We must get this budget approved and signed on October 5 and get the documents to Jesi ASAP, with NO DELAYS.

ii. Asked Mariah to contact the Montana League of Cities and Towns for support. Jen reiterated that this cannot happen again. The worst case scenario here ends with no revenue for the Town in 2023. We need to create a new system of checks and balances with more people paying attention to this so we can avoid it in the future."

According to those same minutes, the council then went into closed session at 6:15 p.m. and moved back to an open meeting at 6:38 p.m.

Minutes from an emergent special meeting of the council on September 28 state that a motion to change passwords to all town service accounts and email and revoke access to former clerk Mariah Schneider passed unanimously.

The announcements/public comment section of the September 28 meeting minutes read, in part:

"Vicki Fix informed the town of what she has found. She and Cecile Smith-Kuehn have been working to help Teri make sense of what files/documents have been uncovered these last few days. She has primarily been working with MMIA to ensure the property and liability insurance is "covered" for the town. She's also noticed an issue with the 1095 form and she is unsure of the state of our federal taxes. Teri Jump filled in the council on the current state of the Town Office. She has found several envelopes with checks and bills alike...some with cash, unlabeled. There was a large donation check for the pool fund that hadn't been cashed. There is evidence of adjustments to some residents' accounts with no documentation. Teri will be calling Black Mountain to gain understanding of that system. Teri will also call the auditor that was here a few months ago to get information on Municipal services. There was discussion on next week's agenda, Libby will assist Teri in this and for today's meeting minutes."

The Town began advertising for a full-time clerk/treasurer on September 30th.

Unofficial minutes from a Wednesday, October 5 meeting show that a library board member was in attendance and reported an issue with the insurance for Ekalaka Public Library. According to those minutes the issue was an "underrated insurance coverage issue for worker's compensation."

On October 12th, the council discussed the hiring of "three capable applicants" and eventually called in Teri Jump to discuss adjusting her position.

On Tuesday, the Eagle received the following press release from Ekalaka Town Clerk Teri Jump.

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

To the Citizens of the Town of Ekalaka:

The Town of Ekalaka's (Town) governing body was notified of a possible issue by the Office of the Carter County Treasurer (Treasurer). The Town's financial reports regarding taxpayer's delinquencies, tax assessments, levies, etc. for the new budgeting cycle were not timely turned into the Treasurer. Without these reports, the Treasurer was unable to assess fees and apply liens on real property. Upon investigation, the issue was confirmed, and the Town went to work finding solutions. With the help of volunteers, the Town Council, and the Town staff, the situation was addressed and corrected. You should receive your property tax statements as usual.

Additionally, the Town received numerous reports from citizens of the following: (1) citizens haven't received utility bills; (2) submitted payments have not gone through or were not credited to their accounts; (3) late fee assessments; and/ or (4) adjustments to billing statements. We apologize for any inconveniences these issues caused. We can assure you; the Town takes this very seriously. An investigation into the reports is underway. On a positive note, no late fees were assessed on your October 2022 utility billing.

The Town Council and the Town staff are actively working on keeping the Town of Ekalaka operational. In the meantime, please show the Town and its staff compassion as we are still gathering information to calculate the magnitude of the situation. Rest assured, if there is an issue with your account, billing, etc, the Town staff will reach out to you directly to discuss your account.

We continue to encourage the public's involvement in our municipality. Should you have any questions or concerns about this, or any other matter, be sure to attend the Town Council meetings. Meetings are scheduled for the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month at 5:00 pm. They are held at the town office located on Main Street. Agendas are posted no later than 48 hours before all meetings. Agendas are found in the entry to the Town Office, the entry to Southeast Electric Cooperative, and the entry of the Carter County Courthouse.

Thank you again for your understanding and for your patience as we weather these issues together.

Humbly yours,

/S/ Buck Kratzer, Mayor

/S/ Elizabeth Barth, President of the Council

/S/ Melissa Lovec, Council Member

/S/ Andrew Wright, Council Member

/S/ Jimmy MacKay, Council Member"