“We are in many ways very blessed,” said Ward 1 Councilman Dave Strohmaier, who wished citizens a safe and meaningful holiday season, especially in light of the year's hardships and difficulties.
The mayor and other councilors also offered season's greetings to Missoulians. Ward 2 Councilman John Hendrickson extended the merry Christmas to people in the military serving abroad and their families at home.
“Here they are. Christmas lights for everybody,” Childers said.
He said the strand was a necklace he bought his wife so she would have something festive to wear at the city's holiday party. He then tired of it and asked her to turn it off, but for a time, “she wore it and was the belle of the ball.”
Childers also waved around a ghost of council past, a holiday card from former Councilman Jim McGrath, who evidently continues to reuse and recycle. He sends out greetings wrapped in things like old plat maps from troublesome projects. Childers showed his card stuffed in an envelope made from Mansion Heights paperwork, a hairy development from nearly a decade ago: “It was an awful thing.”
Another awful thing are LED lights, as far as some are concerned. Strohmaier said he and Ward 3 Councilman Bob Jaffe have agreed to put off an interim emergency ordinance dealing with signs and the proliferation of LED lights. The signs are a thorny issue but he figures the community can work through trouble spots in the zoning rewrite.
“I think it's worth giving that process a bit more time,” Strohmaier said.
Hendrickson, meanwhile, thanked Strohmaier and Jaffe for holding off and figured the postponed ordinance would have been awful had it surfaced. He also said the business community needs to be involved in a discussion about its lights and signs.
Not all the news was cheery. A popular senior van service is ending, as are seven related jobs, said Ward 4 Councilwoman Lyn Hellegaard. The Community Needs Van Service's worst approval rate was 96 percent, said Hellegaard, with the Missoula Ravalli Transportation Management Association. Mountain Line has started a similar service for seniors.
Also, Ward 4 Councilman Jon Wilkins asked the community to remember homeless veterans. He said it's even more important to help with food after the holidays because things can get worse for veterans then.
“There's a lot of people in need this year,” Wilkins said.
Others, though, just need to slow down. Winter has arrived, and with it complaints about slippery roads. Mayor John Engen said he realizes the slick streets are taxing the patience of some, but resources are limited and city crews are hard at work. He asked people to plan ahead and be careful.
“We need to look out for each other,” Engen said.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Pam Walzer again praised the buses, saying a rider can get an all-day Mountain Line pass for just $2: “What a deal.” Her enthusiasm for the buses was matched with Ward 3 Councilwoman Stacy Rye's fervor for decorated homes in the dark winter.
“I really appreciate all the pretty holiday lights and the effort people make,” Rye said.
At the meeting, council members postponed taking up Clark Fork Terrace No. 1, a proposed development off Deer Creek Road. They unanimously approved a $435,000 loan so the Missoula Housing Authority can build its Garden District project on Russell Street. The money is a Community Development Block Grant.
On a 9-1 vote, council members approved a $20,000 lobbying contract with Gallatin Public Affairs, with Mitchell casting the only vote against it. She said the city should consider teaming up with the county in hiring a lobbyist. Absent were Jaffe and Ward 5 Councilman Dick Haines.
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