Billings County Commission - Regular Meeting

Well, let's just call the meeting to order if everyone's here. Special meeting concerning the agenda is the fire ban.

So, Kyle, you want to lead it off? Sure.

I think we knew this discussion was coming soon after the fire the other day and seeing the Well, I say the progression of the fire was absolutely not matching the fire index so obviously the fire index is not jiving currently to keep us in those restrictions on those days.

As we've kind of done in the past, this would be the next step for a total ban until things level out or we get the second green upcoming.

I did have discussions with the Forest Service last weekend when we were out working the foot race. I know they were planning on going into further restrictions for Forest Service plans also, and I do believe Dean received a call from Misty yesterday about that.

And it sounds like there's a couple other counties around us that are probably within about four days from doing the same thing. So I guess anybody's got any questions or concerns?

Yeah, Misty called yesterday and she indicated they're having a meeting I think Kyle you'll know more I guess but Monday is what she was planning on with everybody involved in the counties and then I got an email from Adam Smith over in Golan Valley they're gonna go to full band too the way it sounds so that's all I know

I have no objections. I'm on board. I called Kyle earlier this week too, so.

And then, yeah, and then just with the, I mean, obviously, you know, we stayed anywhere from zero to maybe about seven pence of rain here the last few days, but the forecast starting today forward, again, high 80s, low 90s for the next 10 days and still very minimal precip. So conditions are just going to continue to get worse.

okay so do we have the declaration uh marcia do you uh have the wording and everything so uh and has everyone seen the wording so we can make motion or do we need to discuss that matter yet i just want to make sure everybody did didn't see the attachment correct on the email oh there somebody put it up there it is yep yeah i read it

I honestly did not see it in the email, but I'm sure it's worded properly.

Yeah, well, it was like Geekson approved too, so.

I'm trying to put it up there, but can you guys see it or it's not showing? It's not showing on my screen. Okay.

I was trying to unmute, but yeah, it looks good to me too. And I agree. I mean, it's going to get hot and dry here. The winds and the rain that we did have was just not enough, but sorry it took me a while to unmute here.

Okay. And obviously, you know, like I said there, I mean, protein grills, something with an on-off switch, those are still allowed, so.

And the off-trail travel, let's just visit a little bit about it.

So let's see here. Also, no travels will be allowed off the surface roadways normally used for vehicle traffic, except necessary or for normal farmer, rancher, or industrial operations. Any of those crews have to have fire extinguishers or normal firefighting equipment at hand. So that way, I mean, obviously there's grazing permits, there's things like that.

We still have to allow for them to check the cattle.

They just have to take the step of having means with them to extinguish a fire if it were to start. I do know in the past, the once considered basically an unsurfaced roadway, a lot of that is, some of that has to come down to discretion I mean, obviously, if it's barely a track and grass is up underneath the vehicle, touching catalytic converters, things like that, that's one thing. If it's maybe an old scoriate road that hasn't been maintained in a while, but there's very minimal grass on it, I guess I would consider that surface roadway. I know that's always kind of been a little gray area, I think, when it comes to those discussions. I don't know if Jared's got anything else to add on that.

Not really. It's going to be a discretion thing, especially in terms of enforcement. But surface roadways, you know, would generally not include section lines or two tracks or those things. But, again, normal farmer ranching operations, that's excluded. So that's the best you can do unless you can't plan for everything, put it that way.

I have one question. Could you, on incinerators, are they allowed or not in this band?

You know, I've had that discussion with a few other fire chiefs around. No, they would not be allowed, those garbage incinerators. You still burn them at night and you can still see the sparks and stuff coming out of them.

And that would fall under the, it is kind of an ash producing burn.

So at this time, no, unless somebody has way more information and can change my mind on that. I mean, I'm not opposed to ever not adding them in there to be okay, but.

All right, just talk about vacation, thank you.

And then we got one month until hunting season starts. Hopefully, we get some rain by then, but then that brings up, you know, more areas, more issues because of hunters wanting to get where they want to go. Oh, yes. Okay. Well, if there isn't any more discussion, Someone wants to make a motion to enact the total burn ban in Dillings County, we could do that.

State moves to enact the burn ban.

Okay, we have a motion. Is there a second? I'll second. Okay. All right. I didn't know you were quiet, Jim. Well, I'm just a listener. All right. We have a second. Any more discussion? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. OK. Motion carries. Did you get that, Marsha?

Got it. And I'll have it printed out, and I will have it for your signature, Dean. OK.

Do I need to sign it today to make it official? I can buzz in there and do it. It won't matter. What's the rule or what would it be? I mean, I can just probably do that.

I think if you could, that'd be great because there's going to be a lot of extra traffic running around here this weekend that we can get it posted up on Facebook Sheriff's Office.

Tell me and get that pushed out there right away. Then I'll get it uploaded to the state. All right. I will do that.

And then, yeah, the bike race, the Maude Hay, whatever, is that this weekend too? Correct. Yes. Okay. Okay. That sounds real good. Thank you, everyone. All right. Thank you.