Planning director given extension

Flathead County Planning Director Jeff Harris will stay on the job through the end of September, but then will be out of a job.

The county commissioners on Monday unanimously supported an addendum to Harris’ contract that will extend it 90 days beyond the June 30 expiration. After that the contract won’t be renewed, commission chairman Joe Brenneman said, adding that Harris has signed the contract extension.

Commissioner Dale Lauman said eliminating Harris isn’t personal but rather a matter of economics in his opinion. With a local economy that’s still soft and not likely to fully rebound any time soon, Lauman said the county needs to “realign” how it operates.

“This is not a personal issue,” Lauman stressed. “I thank him [Harris] and appreciate his service.”

He acknowledged that planning has been an emotional issue in recent years, with “passion on both sides.”

It’s unknown yet if the county will hire a new planning director to replace Harris or if the Planning Office will operate with the existing staff to save money. Since the recession has drastically reduced new construction and development in recent years, the planning staff already has been reduced from 13 full-time-equivalent employees to just 7.5 employees, counting Harris. 

Harris, who has directed the Planning Office for about five years, was

the focus of a six-month investigation last year that cleared him of any wrongdoing. The county paid private investigator Ike Eisentraut $10,000 to look into various allegations made by the American Dream Montana property-rights group and other private citizens.

Brenneman reiterated that the results of the investigation showed that Harris “did everything appropriately.” Brenneman didn’t address the economic aspect of not renewing Harris’ contract beyond September.

Commissioner Jim Dupont didn’t make any comments on Harris’ contract.

HARRIS said afterwards he appreciated the gesture made by the commissioners to extend his contract.

“That was a class move,” he said. “These are tough times and the extra time will be used to sell my house and find another job. They could have waited until 61 days before my contract was up and then not renew it and throw me under the bus.”

The commissioners are required to give contract employees a 60-day notice if they plan to not renew a contract, but County Administrative Officer Mike Pence gave Harris a heads-up several weeks ago that his contract likely wouldn’t be renewed.

“It’s not performance-based,” Harris emphasized about the commissioners’ decision. “They’ve all said I’ve done a stellar job under difficult circumstances.”

There are unfinished projects Harris hopes to see completed by the time he leaves, including a county transportation plan, a revision of zoning regulations and a new zoning-use district for inclusion into zoning regulations. He also will transition tasks he has handled, such as air-quality reporting to meet the state’s consent order for Flathead County, to other staffers.

During a public-comment session earlier in the day on Monday, Shirley Anderson told the commissioners that Harris has a long list of accomplishments and should be given credit for what he has done.

“Don’t fall for the propaganda,” Anderson said, alluding to vocal anti-planning factions. “Don’t make him a scapegoat.”

Roger Sullivan, another Harris supporter, said he hasn’t seen any economic analysis to use as a basis for not renewing Harris’ contract. He urged the commissioners to base their decision on sound reasoning.

Throughout the private investigation and vocal opposition, Harris has exhibited “graciousness under fire,” Sullivan said.

“His knowledge and skill is unsurpassed and his character is unsurpassed,” Sullivan said.

Not everyone sang praise, though.

Bob Spoklie, who won a lawsuit against the county over his West Glacier gravel-pit expansion, said the last five years have been “the worse I’ve ever seen” in planning issues. He wondered how much the county has spent on planning lawsuits during Harris’ time as director, and said the existing planning staff is competent enough to handle the workload.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com