Ranchers Steve and Susie Speckert, who own a 400-acre ranch off Highway 35, approached the Polson City Commission on Monday, April 6, to bring awareness to the tumble mustard causing havoc to their ranch.  

The weeds are blowing across Highway 35 into their fields, sprinkler lines, equipment and fences. The “daunting task” of removing the tangled weeds from just one windstorm late last year took 300 hours over four to five weeks.  

The non-native invasive weed, which can be toxic to cattle, is crossing the highway from a neighboring property owned by Mission Ridge LLC, based in Idaho.   

The property owners, who plan to develop the parcel, asked that it be annexed into the city limits during a commission meeting on Feb. 3, 2025. Despite neighbors' opposition to development on the farmland and questions about why the annexation occurred so quickly, the commission passed a resolution to annex the property.  

Before annexation, this was county jurisdiction, leased out to a crop farmer. With crops on the field years prior, the weeds were under control, but last season, no one farmed the land, according to Speckerts. 

Normally, this type of issue would have been addressed by the Lake County Weed District Office. A citation would have been issued “a lot faster,” Steve said, than the time it has taken the city to move forward. Steve said he’s witnessed enforcement agencies take immediate action in the past.  

“It's a public nuisance, fire hazard, and it's costing us a fortune. We don't have the manpower or the finances to go through another 300 or 400 hours of cleaning because we have to get ready for our ranching,” Steve said. “So we're in a bad situation.”  

The Speckert ranch is a fourth-generation farming operation that is self-sustaining and the sole source of income for Susie.  

The Speckerts originally reached out to the county weed control office, unaware of the previous annexation. After learning the county had no jurisdiction, they filed a formal complaint with city attorney Dave Michie on Jan. 22, just five days after a major storm.  

Steve said in the meantime, they cleaned up the weeds, contacted their attorney to send a letter to the property owner, and filed a formal complaint with Lake County District Court, asking the property owner to mitigate the weeds, or legal action would be taken. He also said Michie informed them that he was writing a notice to the owners.  

Since their initial cleanup in January, Steve reported multiple strong wind events that have sent more tumbleweeds onto their ranch. He noted that this poses an extreme fire hazard due to the flammable weeds becoming entangled in the electric fences.  

They do not have the time to make significant alterations to their 150-cow-calf operation. The weeds also drop over a million seeds per plant, which can last up to 10 years in the soil, and that can’t be sprayed without killing the alfalfa, he said.  

“If we spray out the alfalfa, we would go two years without hay and that would cost us an absolute fortune. So, we're really in a bad position here, and it's really affecting our ranching,” he said.  

The weeds also pose a public safety threat as they blow across nearby roads and the highway and gather in ditches bordering the Speckert Ranch, creating more fire danger.  

City Manager Ed Meece explained that the city sent letters last week to the property owner and another who purchased a portion of the original tract. 

Meece said last Monday, the city was in communication with the county weed office director and coordinator, Tyler Linse, who had spoken to the landowner of the property where the tumbleweeds originate. He said that, based on his conversation with Linse, the owner is interested in mitigating weeds and leasing the land again. He added that both landowners in the original tract of land have 30 days to mitigate the weeds.  

Commissioner Carolyn Pardini questioned why the city waited until last week to send the letter and noted that a cover crop should have already been seeded to address the problem this season.  

“Waiting till now to send a letter, and then waiting 30 days really puts the Speckerts and the farming community out there in a pretty tough spot for the upcoming year,” Pardini said.  

Meece explained that they didn’t wait and moved forward on the issue as soon as Brad Ekstrom was hired temporarily to assist with code enforcement. He said the code enforcement position was eliminated many years ago, and he or Michie handles enforcement as quickly as they can.  

Commissioner Lisa Rehard asked about the process for de-annexing the property, but Miche was unsure. Mayor Laura Dever also asked what the city’s recourse is after the 30 days if nothing happens.  

Michie said that, after 30 days, if no mitigation occurs, the city would file a citation through the city court and go through the code enforcement process again and again.  

Steve also asked if the city would recover their damages, and Miche said that they can’t to the full extent. Steve noted that they still haven’t received a response from the property owner, regardless of their court filings.  

New regulation for vendors  

Carol Lynn Lapotka, the manager of the Flathead Cherry Festival, also came to discuss the 40-pound weight per leg on booth supports that the new city fire chief, Kevin Straub, is implementing.  

Lapotka, who has 25 years of experience as both a vendor and an event organizer, explained that she’s only required 25 pounds per leg at every event she's managed and has had no safety incidents.  

“I'm not here to argue against tents being anchored. I'm here to ask whether this specific requirement, 40 pounds per leg, is grounded in evidence, properly authorized, and proportionate to the actual conditions at our community market events,” Lapotka said. “Where does this number come from?” 

As the farmers' market moved forward with its special-use permit from the city, market participant Joe Arnold was notified that vendors would be required to weigh down their tents with 40 pounds per leg, a new regulation that Arnold brought to the commission's attention on Jan. 21.  

Concerns were raised during the Jan. 21 meeting by both Arnold and Commissioner Tracie McDonald that the weight was too much for the older crowd who are vendors. The city has cited that this is a regulation from Chief Straub, who reviewed the manufacturer's recommended 60 pounds per leg and decided to use 40 pounds instead.  

The city recommended that vendors use five-gallon buckets and fill them with water. However, Lapotka pointed out that this poses a danger to young children. She also provided a national survey that stated 80% of markets have no fixed weight requirement.  

Lapotka further noted that the market for weights also follows this, with small weights for pop-up tents at 20 to 30 pounds.  

“My ask is concrete. I'm not asking for no requirement. I'm asking for one that is defensible and practical,” she said. She also asked if the new weight regulation is based on engineering or a documented incident.  

Commissioner Rehard asked whether a weight regulation had ever been imposed before, and Lapotka explained that it had not, but that she required 25 pounds per leg at her own events.  

She further said that the new event policy also requires additional spacing between vendors. She was already spaced booths for safety and easy shopping, but this new requirement means she is losing $2,500 in vendor contacts for this year because it reduced the number of booths.  

Rehard asked Meece whether the code had changed over the last five years, and he said it had not, but the new fire chief, as the “authority having jurisdiction,” took a look at the “appropriate standard.”  

Assistant fire chief Adam Reed, who was present at the meeting, explained that the current code is vague, giving the “authority having jurisdiction” the ability to fill in the details.  

“We did have a meeting with Ms. Lapotka, and we talked about the challenge that 60 pounds per leg would cause quite an issue. So, we actually decided to lower that down to 40 pounds, which is at the lower end of what the manufacturers recommend,” Reed said.  

Rehard asked if tents blowing over was a problem over the decades Polson has held both the market and cherry festival, and Reed explained that he was only aware of one occurrence. He also said 25 pounds per leg would travel with the tent, causing more problems.  

McDonald asked Reed how they plan to enforce this regulation, and Reed explained that he and chief Straub’s method would be to educate people.  

“I can guarantee you that we are not going around with a scale and make sure everybody is exactly at 40 pounds,” Reed said.  

Pardini asked if the commission could reject that guideline, and Meece said that if the commission wants to take a “different perspective,” then it could be a voted action item or resolution.  

The commission moved forward to put that action item on the next meeting's agenda.  

Pardini also asked that the spacing requirement be included in that action item, but Meece explained that it is part of the adopted fire code, handled by the Fire Code Appeals Board.  

Approving members for this vacant board, which has been in the city code since 2015, was also on the agenda for this meeting.  

The commission received six applications for the board, two of which were brought by the commissioners. The board consists of five members and must be qualified by experience and training to pass judgement “upon pertinent matters.” 

Commissioner Rehard found that one application was from a City of Polson volunteer firefighter, which she raised as a conflict of interest because the board would be appealing their commanding officer, the fire chief’s interpretation. All four applications provided by the city were from City of Polson firefighters.  

“I think the public perception if we're appointing his subordinates to review and pass on appeals of his interpretations of the fire code, I can't face my constituents and make that kind of a vote,” Rehard said.  

Due to the conflict with most applicants and the need for applicants to understand and interpret the International Fire Code, the commission voted to table the agenda item to allow for more applicants.  

Other agenda items and discussions  

Mayor Dever recommended that the city commission host a public work session to discuss both of the recent proposals to lease the Polson Bay Golf Course – one from a private entity and the other from the Polson Golf Association. The commission set that meeting for April 20 at 6 p.m.  

The commission also passed the second reading of an ordinance amending the city code regarding excavation permits, new street construction, violations and code errors.  

Under the excavation portion of the code, the proposed change states “off season” will be defined as the time when asphalt hot mix is unavailable. Permit fees may also increase during the off-season.  

The commission also went into an executive session. It is unclear what the discussion was about, but Meece requested a closed session for his privacy.  

The next commission meeting is Monday, April 20, in the commission chambers at 7 p.m.  

Correction added April 17:

Regarding the golf meeting, the incorrect date was published. The Polson City Commission golf workshop to discuss the proposals will be on Wednesday, May 20.

Our apologies for the errors.

    Carol Lynn Lapotka, the manager of the Flathead Cherry Festival, demonstrates the different weights that could be used to anchor tents during the farmers market and cherry festival, instead of the 40-pound per leg requirement that the new fire chief is requiring. (Emily Messer/Leader)