During its first meeting of 2026, the Polson City Commission welcomed new mayor Laura Dever and two new commissioners, Lori Schrader-Young (Ward 2) and Tracie McDonald Ward 3). Returning commissioner is Jake Holley (Ward 1), who was also elected as commission chair, meaning he’ll preside over meetings when the mayor is absent.   

Mayor Dever noted that this is a historic commission with Holley as the only male, and to their knowledge, McDonald is the first enrolled tribal member on the commission.   

New assistant fire chief  

Adam Reed, a lieutenant for the City of Polson Fire Department and the director of IT/GIS, was appointed as the new assistant fire chief and sworn in at the Polson City Commission meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 7.  

Reed has served as a volunteer firefighter for 6 years and has been the director of IT/GIS for 2 years. The fire chief and assistant chief are the only paid positions within the department, so Adams will be stepping down from his other city position.  

New plan for Bunkers 

City Manager Ed Meece told commissioners that a front-of-house, back-of-the-house plan is being crafted for Bunkers Bar and Grill at the Polson Golf Course.  

The city owns and operates the restaurant and lost its manager last fall. It also suffered another setback when a motorist accidentally slammed into the building in November, damaging the walk-in freezer. He hopes the plan will be completed in a couple of weeks, and on Jan. 8, he was meeting with staff at the restaurant to discuss the next steps and implementation.  

“We continue to take a serious look at several of the financial items related to the operation of the restaurant,” Meece said.  

Commissioner Carolyn Pardini asked Meece to hold restaurant meetings before the commission meeting so he can provide a more detailed update. She also asked whether the restaurant is financially in the black or red.  

Meece said he is working on compiling the financial numbers this week and can send them to the commissioners. But Pardini said she’d rather have the information presented at a public meeting.  

Special-use permit tabled 

Another agenda item for the commission was to consider Blackhorn Investments' special-use permit for a campground with four RV campsites behind The Shoe restaurant, owned by Scott Biggs.  

The campsites are within the Resort Zoning District, and campgrounds require a special-use permit. According to the agenda item summary, the location was already approved for one RV spot but is requesting three additional spots.  

The Polson City-County Planning Board voted unanimously in favor of the permit with 21 conditions and recommended the commission’s approval.  

The developer's agent, who attended the planning board’s public hearing, described the off-street RV parking for the owner and restaurant guests and stated they have no intent to advertise the sites.  

During public comment at the planning board hearing, a neighbor raised concerns about increased noise and stated that weekends are already loud due to the restaurant. She also noted that Shoreline Road is frequently obstructed by parked vehicles on the weekend.  

An adjacent neighbor also raised privacy concerns because the sites overlook their yard. Another concern was raised about additional fire risks posed by campfires. However, Fire Chief Kevin Straub explained during the commission meeting that these campfires would be the same size as those allowed in anyone’s yard within the city limits.  

Commissioner Pardini questioned why the permit did not include any information about RV hook-ups. With this permit, Biggs would be required to open a $20,000 bond, which the city can cash out to restore the land if the project isn’t completed. Pardini suggested raising the bond to $50,000.  

Without any representation from the developer or any comment prior to the meeting, Pardini motioned to table the item until Feb. 2 to give Biggs time to comment and to determine whether he’s still interested. The motion passed with Commissioner Jen Ruggless and Mayor Laura Dever voting against it.  

    Mayor Laura Dever swears in new assistant fire chief Adam Reed, with his wife, Alisa Reed, standing alongside him. (Emily Messer/Leader)