Following a closed session of the County Water District board, last Wednesday, Board President Doug Kary announced that the board had unanimously agreed to accept a settlement offer from Pam Ellis and Yellowstone County.
The County Water District accepted the defendants’ offer that the district pay for $9500 of the defendants’ legal costs and to agree that Pam Ellis may rejoin as a member of the board to complete her term to the end of 2024.
Members at the board meeting on Wednesday were Doug Kary and Frank Ewalt, and Jeff Essmann, who attended virtually.
On Friday court documents were filed dismissing a hearing that had been scheduled for Monday, April 15, by District Court Judge Colette Davies. Judge Davies set the date for an evidentiary hearing to determine the termination date of Ellis’ term on the Board following her decision in March that the board acted illegally in removing Ellis from the board.
The case was filed by the County Water District against Yellowstone County and Pam Ellis, following action by the board to remove Ellis from the board on June 15, 2022. The district’s board at the time of filing included, Ming Cabrera, David Graves, Laura Drager and Brandon Hurst.
Ellis was appointed to the board by the Yellowstone County Commissioners in September 2020, to complete the term of their former appointee who resigned. The County and Ellis contended that the board did not have the authority to remove Ellis from the board – that the only means to remove a board member allowed by law was a recall petition of the district members.
What was supposed to … Read Full story online here.
