The Madison County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting on Thursday, March 2, 2023 beginning at 11:00 a.m. in the Second Floor Court Room in the Madison County Administrative Office Building, Virginia City, Montana, for the purpose of Golf Course Discussion and/or making a final decision for the purpose of making a determination for the future of the Madison County Golf Course.

Madison-Meadows-Gold-Course-Association

Operation-Rigleys-Field

Madison County WebEx 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Thursday, March 2, 2023

Meeting Number: 2555 247 7736

Password: VCMadison

Join by Phone: 1-408-418-9388

Password: 82623476

The Madison County Board of Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. in the Second Floor Court Room of the Administrative Office Building in Virginia City, Montana, to receive public comment on a petition requesting to West Street from Hanley Street, northward to the northernmost boundary of the townsite of Pony, MT (including the portions of West Street proceeding through the Clark and Duncan Addition.

Copies of the petition are available for public review and comment at the Madison County Commissioners’ Office.

Comments on the proposal are welcome. Written public comments may be submitted or delivered to the Madison County Commissioners’ Office, P.O. Box 278, Virginia City, MT 59755; faxed to (406) 843-5517; or emailed to madco@madison.mt.gov. Written comments must be received by close of the March 14, 2023, public hearing.

Madison County will be submitting applications for the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grant for the Fish Hatchery Road, Ennis, MT and North Meadow Creek, Ennis, MT. The county is seeking separate letters of support for both projects, due no later than Friday, March 10, 2023, at 5:00PM to be submitted with the application. The Fish Hatchery Road is located in District 1, Commissioner Dan W. Allhands. North Meadow Creek is located in District 3, Commissioner William A. Todd’s district.

   • To email a letter, please address to Madco@madisoncountymt.gov and in the subject line, please write “Fish          Hatchery Road” or “North Meadow Creek”.

   • Either address one road, or if you wish, address both in two separate letters.

     *We are specifically looking for letters that address current conditions the impact it may be having on tourism,        and/or the economic impact that it is occurring due to roads being in poor condition.

   • To mail a letter, please address to Madison County Commissioners, P.O. Box 278, Virginia City, MT 59755

   • Either address one road, or if you wish, address both in two separate letters.

     *We are specifically looking for letters that address current conditions the impact it may be having on tourism,        and/or the economic impact that it is occurring due to roads being in poor condition.

All letters will be shared with our engineering company, Great West Engineering, and will be submitted with the FLAP grant applications.

The Madison County Board of Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. in the courtroom of the Madison County Administrative Office Building, 103 West Wallace, Virginia City, Montana, to receive public comment on a proposed resolution to list Common Mullein as a County listed noxious weed in Madison County.

Comments on the proposal are welcome. Written comments may be submitted at the hearing or delivered to the Madison County Commissioners' Office prior to the hearing at P.O. Box 278, Virginia City, MT 59755; faxed to (406) 843-5517; or e-mailed to madco@madisoncountymt.gov . 

For more information, contact the Commissioners' Office at (406) 843-4277.

The Madison County Board of Commissioners is seeking qualified individuals or firms with the expertise and experience necessary to provide general operating and management services for the Madison Meadows Golf Course in Ennis, Montana. The County will utilize the selected individual or firm to serve as the golf course operator/manager for a period of up to five years for all aspects of operating and managing a small rural town golf course. Desired services may include but not be limited to the following:

• Manage the day to day operations of golf course including food, beverage, and retail sales.

• Maintain grounds keeping equipment, fertilization, fairway aeration, trees and greens.

• Oversee the management and performance of golf shop and applicable department operations and services to assure high standards and total customer satisfaction.

• Develop golf operations annual and monthly budgets including past performances and forecasts to see that all financial goals are met.

• Approve and order supplies associated with all golf activities.

• Develops and oversee an innovative tournament schedule and golf activities program that services all customer segments.

• Establishes guidelines for golf operations for employees to easily understand expectations and parameters.

The agreement and payment terms will be negotiated with the selected offeror.

Copies of the detailed request for proposals (RFP), including a description of the services to be provided by respondents, the minimum content of responses, and the factors to be used to evaluate the responses can be obtained by contacting the Madison County Commissioners, P.O. Box 278, Virginia City, MT 59755; by email at madco@madisoncountymt.gov; or by calling 406-843-4277.

The Madison County Board of Commissioners is seeking a qualified individual with the expertise and experience necessary to develop, promote and implement county forestry polices that assist federal, state and private forest land owners in management of forest lands and to enhance forest health, wildland fire mitigation, wildlife and watershed habitat and maximize the economic wellbeing of Madison County. The County Forester will represent the County Commission to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Montana DNRC, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), wood products entities and private land owners on issues of forest management, including fire mitigation grant programs. The Forester will advise the County Commission on forest management issues to include County response to project proposals through the NEPA/MEPA process and manage existing and future county timber lands and timber projects.

The agreement and payment terms will be negotiated with the selected offeror.

For further information, please contact the Madison County Commissioners’ Office, P.O. Box 278, Virginia City, MT 59755; by email at madco@madisoncountymt.gov; or by calling 406-843-4277.

All responses must be received by 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time on February 15, 2023.

The Madison County Board of Commissioners has one vacancy on the Big Hole River Advisory Board; two vacancies on the Big Sky Transportation District Board; two vacancies on the Board of Health; three vacancies on the County Compensation Board; one vacancy on the DUI Task Force; one vacancy on the Fair Board; one vacancy on the Housing Advisory Board; one vacancy on the Mental Health Local Advisory Council; one vacancy on the Planning Board; three vacancies on the Road Review Committee; one vacancy on the Solid Waste Board; one vacancy for a substitute member on the Tax Appeal Board; one vacancy on the Weed Board from the Cardwell/Harrison area; and one vacancy on the Taylor Cemetery District Board.

If you are interested in filling any of these vacancies, please contact the Commissioners’ Office at 406-843-4277, or by email at madco@madisoncountymt.gov.

PDF application forms can be found on the county website at https://madisoncountymt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/833

Please return completed applications to:

The Madison County Board of Commissioners is accepting applications for a County Representative to serve on the Ennis Planning Board per the following:

If you are interested in filling this vacancy, please contact the Commissioners’ Office at 406-843-4277, or by email at madco@madisoncountymt.gov.

PDF application forms can be found on the county website at https://madisoncountymt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/833

Madison County Commissioners’ Office

P.O. Box 278

Virginia City, MT 59755

We are excited to announce that a law enforcement canine program will be returning to the Sheriff’s Office soon! This process has been underway for months and we are finally nearing the end.

Deputy Tyler Mursch has been a driving force in the research, planning and execution of our new canine program. Because of his hard work, passion and commitment, Deputy Mursch was selected to be Madison County’s new K-9 officer. In the coming months, he will attend handler school with his new canine and his patrol vehicle will be outfitted for canine use.

The K-9 will provide the Sheriff’s Office with an invaluable tool for scent tracking and contraband detection! We would like to thank everyone who has made our new canine program possible: Molly McKinney (owner/operator of McKinney K-9), the Madison County D.U.I. Task Force, Jeff Gerth (Emergency Vehicle Solutions), Christine Keltner (the Sheriff’s Office Administrative Assistant), and the support of the residents of this great county! More info to be released when the program is fully up and running, but we here at the Sheriff’s Office were too excited not to let everyone know!

In other news, we would like to announce an upcoming Mass Casualty Training Event, organized by the Madison County Department of Emergency Services and the Sheriff’s Office. This event will occur in the first half of next year. The training will include multiple fire departments, hospitals, and emergency medical services. The incident training will provide the Sheriff’s Office and the other agencies with experience in handling mass casualty incidents. Mass casualty incidents can range from bus accidents to structure fires. This training will help us identify weaknesses and give us the opportunity to correct them. More information on this training event will provided.

And finally, if you pay close attention to our vehicles you may have noticed some new equipment in them. We have upgraded our in-car and body camera systems, along with our video evidence storage. Our current system was nearing the end of its life cycle and was not adequately meeting our required needs. The new system will automatically upload to one source. This will allow for a seamless process for the storage and dissemination of video evidence, and will free up more of a deputy’s time to focus on investigations and patrolling the county.

We would like to thank Deputy Trever Dowton for his hard work and passion to make our new camera system possible. Deputy Dowton worked with Hanna Brook (Madison County Grant Administrator) for a portion of the funding. He was also involved in the scheduling, installation and configuration of the entire system, working closely with Jeff Gerth (Emergency Vehicle Solutions) and Motorola Solutions.

As always, nothing we do would be possible without the citizens of this great county. We are very grateful for your continued support. Thank you all again!

Respectfully,

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office

On Wednesday, August 24 at 16:44, the Madison County Communications Center received a report of possible unexploded ordnance near mile marker 23 on Montana Highway 41 South near Twin Bridges. The original call described three pieces of what the reporting party believed to be dynamite. The dynamite was found in an outbuilding that was set to be demolished.

Madison County deputies responded to the residence. At great risk to themselves, two deputies entered the building and confirmed the pieces to be unexploded ordnance and other possible materials were located at the scene. The two deputies, one with prior military experience in explosive materials, documented the ordnance and exited the building. The United States Air Force 341st Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls was informed of the situation and responded to the scene.

In cooperation with multiple agencies and resources, the Madison County Sheriff's Office and the USAF EOD team destroyed the explosives after being safely transported away from the residence onto state owned land. The EOD team identified the explosives as highly unstable and responded as such. Montana Highway 41 South was closed for a brief period to mitigate the risk to the public. Ruby Valley EMS and the Twin Bridges Volunteer Fire Department were also on scene during the incident to provide any needed aid.

This incident is not only an example of the bravery of America's service members, law enforcement, emergency medical services and firefighters, but also demonstrates the danger of holding onto unexploded ordnance. Please do not allow situations like this to repeat themselves. The reporting party did the correct thing by immediately notifying law enforcement. A sweep of the property was performed and no more ordnance was located.

A big thank you goes out to the United States Air Force, Ruby Valley EMS, Twin Bridges Volunteer Fire Department, and the Madison County Communications Center for their assistance in this incident.

On Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 10:05am, the Madison County Communications Center received a 911 call from the area of South Main Street in Twin Bridges.

Deputies and emergency medical personnel responded to an initial report of an adult female victim that had been injured in a possible assault. The reported suspects were two adult males that had fled the incident scene. Witnesses at the scene reported the fleeing suspects were possibly armed with a firearm.

Madison County Deputies and Montana Highway Patrol responded to the Sheridan area in an attempt to locate the fleeing vehicle and suspects.

The male suspects were reported driving on Mill Creek Road outside Sheridan. At 11:38am, MHP Troopers and Madison County Deputies performed a high-risk traffic stop with the individuals near the 200 block of Mill Creek Road. One of the suspects was arrested on scene with charges now pending. The second suspect was detained at the scene and subsequently released without charges.

The female victim was transported from the scene to a medical facility to receive care for her injuries.

If you witnessed any part of the incident or have any further information regarding the incident, please contact the Madison County Sheriff's Office at 406-843-5301.

DO YOU OWN AND/OR OPERATE A SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROPERTY SUCH AS, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, AN AIRBNB OR VRBO? MONTANA STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT ALL SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROPERTIES BE LICENSED THROUGH THE MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. *SEE MONTANA CODE ANNOTATED 50-51-201.

PLEASE CONTACT THE MADISON COUNTY SANITARIAN OFFICE TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING YOUR PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION LICENSE.

 -ZACHARY KOZICKY, RS

 CELL: 406-465-7339

EMAIL: ZKOZICKY@MADISONCOUNTYMT.GOV

OFFICE PHONE: (406) 843-4275

FAX: (406) 843-5362