Scobey, MT

On April 28, fourteen community members attended a workshop designed to help them learn more about Serving on Public Boards in Montana. Paul Lachapelle, MSU Extension Community Development Specialist, was the guest speaker. The workshop was sponsored by Montana Horizons and Scobey Horizons.

Paul takes a somewhat “dry” subject and makes it very informative and useful for community members serving in elected capacity or as appointed volunteers on county boards or city councils. The two hours flew by with lots of questions still wanting to be asked at the end of the workshop. Paul was able to distribute his handbook entitled “Serving on County Boards, Districts, Commissions and Committees in Montana - A Handbook for Members, Local Government Officials and Citizens”free to all participants. This was also made possible by Montana Horizons.

In rural communities, serving on boards, is many times a honor or a burden, depending on how an individual feels about volunteering in a community. However, serving with an understanding of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) is imperative for a board member to be effective and make a change in their community.

The attendees were all members of either a County Board or worked for local government as Mayors or clerks. Paul did an outstanding job and was held as a “Scobey captive” for a hour after the program answering many questions.

This program aided in addressing two of the Action Plans in Scobey’s Vision - Communications and Economic Development. It illustrated how boards making decisions that affect community members can be more effective when board business is conducted properly. It can also facilitate a Board to be more supportive of needs and concerns of a community due to understanding how a board is suppose to function within it’s resolutions and by-laws.

At the April Horizons montly meeting, folks had lot’s to discuss.  The City Council had invited Horizon to join forces in pursuing a Grant with the Montana Department of Commerce to conduct a Home Survey that would then open the door for the City of Scobey to apply for a $450,000 Community Development Block Grant.  Matching funds of $5,000 were needed for the project to begin.

With the help of Linda Twitchell with the Great Northern Development Corporation in Wolf Point, a grant for the housing survey was submitted on April 18, 2008.

 The Housing and Neighborhood Renewal Grant offers communities a wide range of activities to help provide decent, safe and sanitary housing for low and moderate income residents at an affordable price and to combat blighting influences in the community. Horzions in Scobey knows this is a concern for the citizens, with the many responses that addressed that very need in the survey done in 2007.

At that initial meeting it was awesome to see a chain of events on seeking support for the project. In the Horizon Steering Committee are members of othe organizations. As we discussed this project with a City representative, a member of the Lions Club wanted to take the request to his organization. But a member of the Scobey Alumni wanted to include her group. What a wonderful change of reactions!!  Everyone saw this investment of $5,000 as more than just “here’s the money”, but a geniune opportunity to impact the many needs of the low to moderately income members of our community.

By the end of the week the matching funds were not only coming from Horizons, but from others:

Horizons - $2,000, Scobey Lions - $1,000 , Scobey Alumni Association - $500 and City of Scobey - $$1,500.

Thank you Northwest Foundation for helping us help others in our community.

April 15 brought a great opportunity for residents of Daniels County to learn more about estate planning.  Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension Economics Specialist, gave a great presentation and many participants where busy the next day reviewing their estate plans!

During the discussions that evening, one major topic was the survival of the family farm or ranch. Many times in Rural Montana, family farms and ranches are sold due to the unplanned estate of the deceased owners.  It was mentioned this does create a poverty situation due to the need to sale or divide the property in the estate  in order to pay debt or settle an estate. 

Another issue with estate planning is the situation when the heirs are not biological family members. In today’s world of remarriages and late in life marriages, the dynamics of the family estate plan can change over night.  Several good discussions evolved on this subject.

 Planning for the future is important for all ages!  Especially when rural Montana’s Future lies in it’s citizens being as resourceful and informed as possible.

 Marsha’s program was sponsored by Montana Horizons and MSU Extension and Daniels County Horizons and Extension.

Marsha Goetting from MSU will be in Scobey April 15 at 7:00 pm in the Extension Meeting room to present info on Estate Planning.