The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is seeking reimbursement for some of the services officers provide to the community.  

At last Wednesday’s Ronan City Council meeting, Lake County Undersheriff Levi Read said he had visited the council a month ago, and he’d since reached out to Ronan Police Chief Rob Jacobson regarding coordination of law enforcement services. According to Read, the sheriff’s department has calculated that it is responsible for 40 percent of the law enforcement services in Ronan, and the meeting would be on how best to address the issue.

Chief Jacobson has declined to meet and said the issue is in the hands of the Ronan City Council. Read had some billing options and was “requesting either a meeting with the sheriff and myself or myself with whoever on the council wants to be pushing this discussion forward, or I want to be on the agenda for your next meeting.”

Read also voiced concerns regarding law enforcement radio protocol.

Also during public comment time, Andrea Ruhman requested some extra time for the street closure for last weekend’s Pearlpalooza, the grand opening of The Pearl Theatre, on May 16 so workers could remove the outdoor canopy. Council agreed to give them until 10:30 p.m. to get the job done.

Chamber representative Katie Elliott requested a street closing for May 29-31 for a community mural painting on the side of Evolve Fitness on Third Ave. Aspen and Cameron Decker are the artists involved. School kids will wield paint brushes Friday, and Saturday and Sunday the community is invited to come paint.

Deputy clerk Gwen Zolber attended Montana Municipal Clerks, Treasurers, and Finance Officers training last week where a Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Ronan City Clerk Kaylene Melton, who was unable to attend. The council congratulated Melton and gave her a round of applause.

In new business, Brittany Simonich from Mission West Community Development Partners said Ben Davis from Friends of the Children is interested in applying for a Community Development Block Grant to help renovate the exterior of the 124128 Main Street building and to replace the roof. The nonprofit organization is in the process of remodeling the building for its new headquarters.

According to Simonich, the process would require a general needs assessment meeting to find out what other needs the City of Ronan has.

Dan Miller, Ronan’s director of public works, said suggested Ronan could add onto the existing CDBG grant “if we’re still looking for facilities money for wastewater and for money for the fire department.”

Mission West is now the official coordinating organization for the Main Street program. They’re holding a May 20 kick-off meeting using the four-point strategy — economic, vitality, design, organization and promotion.

Simonich is transitioning to the position of community economic development program manager.

Michelle Fenger, director of the Ronan Library, updated the council members about new vinyl flooring in the portion of the library that once was a bank. In the fall, the remainder of the library will be recarpeted, and they’ll be seeking volunteers to help move books.

“I can’t help but just walk in there and smile,” Fenger said.

Glen Sharbono, commander of the Veteran’s Honor Guard, gave the council a head’s up that the Honor Guard would leave St Luke’s on Memorial Day about noon and drive slowly “like a funeral procession” down Main Street followed by cars, turn left at the Club Bar and head east on Terrace Lake Road to Mountain View Cemetery to honor veterans who lost their lives.

Council approved an open container permit request for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s annual fundraising banquet, which was held at the community center on May 16 from 5 to 10 p.m.

The next meeting will be held on May 27.