Staff recommends the approval of an easement for Northwestern Energy to provide utilities for Mountview Cemetery.

S Bar S is under contract to construct a garage in the southwest corner of the cemetery which is included in the FY23 budget. The new garage will allow cemetery staff to store equipment closer to where a majority of the burials take place. This will make the cemetery more efficient as it will reduce transit times and wear and tear on the equipment. Electricity is required in the new garage for lighting, overhead door operators, outlets for hand tools, air compressors, and engine block heaters. The closest, most cost-efficient, option to get electricity to the new garage is from the transformer located at the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter. This easement request is to run an underground electrical cable from the current transformer at the animal shelter to a new transformer to be installed in the cemetery.

City Council may:

• Approve; or,
• Not Approve

Cost of installing electricity from the animal shelter will be approximately $4,000. If the easement is not granted, the electrical cable will have to be run from the closest existing meter in the cemetery, which is approximately 1/4 mile away. The cost of the alternate route would minimally be $20,000.