Oelkers said the MOU should ….

Oelkers said the MOU should aim to move forward with future properties instead of dealing with past and current situations. “We have to keep the city and county separate,” he added.

Dschaak expressed concern that the county wouldn’t take over many properties under that format. He wished the county would address one or two lots a year.

Dschaak noted that Wolf Point currently has about 18 lots that need to be addressed. He said the biggest complaint that he hears from residents is the city and county don’t work together.

“I’m sitting on a multitude of properties that I want to clean up,” Dschaak said. “It’s a prime opportunity where we can work together in-house and get something done.”

Commissioner Robert Toavs said the goal at the end of the day is to spend taxpayers’ money the best way possible. He said similar to when farmers assist their neighbors, the entities of Roosevelt County and the City of Wolf Point can work together. He feels the quicker that the properties are addressed, the sooner the county can recoup taxable value.

“I think it’s a good thing. We need to figure out how to get it to work,” Toavs said.

Dschaak said he hopes that every municipality can work on a separate MOU with the county regarding the issue. He asked commissioners to look over the proposed MOU, make changes and then provide the changes to him.

He said he doesn’t take comments made during the meetings personally, because each party has a job to do. “I know we can come to an agreement.”

Macdonald replied, “And we will.”

Commissioners will review the MOU sometime in August and then meet with Dschaak at a later date.