[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6267133,"mediaKeyId","3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026","parentId",3077325,"title","Butte-Silver Bow treasurer details tax collection, staffing and technology gaps","audioSeconds",4472,"startMs",384000,"endMs",4856000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026&start=384&end=4856","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026/thumbnail_384000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6267133/Silver-Bow-County/Montana/Butte-Silver-Bow-treasurer-details-tax-collection-staffing-and-technology-gaps","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267133-88649bcbff6a04e857eb979889f3b64d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770897663&Signature=btU~OhMpzx8LI7zFcuYTyQSJfm3Jxq3OL9QhqQKGyL6ktVfMbCtPyL8qLhB67EmXnIm3zZ~ByQthytEV3G3l7-KmRN3DTRZGcMlzeD3wmTCm5AlZ-078lZcVkjJeptFPYaHXXUEZ5DNNZa5AzYWGhhnMPPlFNt9v~bIfSqzgHauLK~dHnxcEMIQGNHutIVgb6jMS~-7mlv-XxR33MPvwBV-GqKChaZziDZtidgj4Xqc2QbVXM~LQ~RRbwSWmpE1jr9RmdnCaQhlwTGa-vKFweXYTDZEeKPKJ~hqb7Hg5sGQUeJOLWEpYyuy6IOu63Cm-4JNxUtNgdv7aPfn5qH89fw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Butte-Silver Bow, MT","date","2025-04-22T08:48:37.697Z","article","Lori Baker Patrick, Butte-Silver Bow County treasurer, described the treasurer's office as the county’s fiscal agent and outlined a wide range of duties from property-tax billing to motor-vehicle transactions during an interview with the county study commission.

Patrick told commissioners the office handles property-tax billing and collection, motor vehicle functions, accounts for the county’s school-district finances and serves as a point of contact with the Montana Department of Revenue. “The treasurer is basically, responsible for the collection of property taxes,” she said.

Why it matters: the treasurer’s office controls cash flows that fund schools, public safety and numerous special districts. Operational changes at the state level — and local choices about billing, notification and technology — affect how much revenue reaches those jurisdictions and how quickly.

Patrick said the office has nine employees and described a long list of day-to-day responsibilities and recent projects: introducing online and ACH payments, implementing a new cash-receiving and check-scanning process, moving motor-vehicle operations to new state-supported software in March 2025, and redesigning the county tax bill to display taxing jurisdictions more clearly.

She gave specific figures for recent activity: the office’s real-estate tax roll for 2024 totaled $57,287,925.08 and the treasurer reported that it had collected $33,319,585.76 (about 58 percent) as of the time of the presentation. Patrick also described an unpaid-tax receivable report that, she said, includes long‑outstanding mobile-home balances from 2019.

Operational changes required by legislation have affected how the office processes delinquent taxes and assignments. Patrick described House Bill 18 and House Bill 23 as drivers of procedural changes on tax-lien and assignment processes and said the office now charges a $65 assignment fee (established by local resolution in April 2018) plus a $25 redemption fee to cover administrative costs. She also said an alternative payment schedule created by state law was implemented locally in September and that the office has received a small number of applications that will be reviewed later in the year.

Patrick said fraud prevention and digital record management are the office’s top ongoing risks. She described incidents the office handled in past years — wire-hacking and check whitewashing — and credited the county’s bank for recovering funds. She urged investment in IT and digital-records infrastructure to reduce exposure.

On relationships with other county offices, Patrick said some duties should remain separate: “No. They cannot be incorporated in the treasurer's office,” she said when asked whether auditor or assessor duties should move into the treasurer’s office, citing segregation-of-duties concerns and limited staff capacity.

She said state-level changes — including litigation and proposed legislative fixes related to mill levies and the 95-mill issue — forced the county to send a supplemental tax bill in 2023 and increased public confusion about tax notices. “There are so many people that we can't reach with notification,” she said.

The treasurer described programs intended to limit tax deeds and sales, including outreach to the state Housing Assistance Fund that has helped taxpayers redeem liens. She also described the office’s role for school-district accounting and said the office implements positive-pay and other anti-fraud practices for school payrolls.

Commissioners asked about staffing, central purchasing, public-notification options and whether a more full-time county commission would help outreach; Patrick suggested stronger IT resources, formal digital-records policy and greater public-outreach capacity would help.

Ending: Patrick said she intends to run again before retiring, and she provided commission staff with balancing and tax-roll documents for further review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","April 14, 2025, Government Study Commission","oneSentenceSummary","Lori Baker Patrick, Butte-Silver Bow County treasurer, described the treasurer's office as the county’s fiscal agent and outlined a wide range of duties from property-tax billing to motor-vehicle services during an interview with the county study commission.","taxTitle","Silver Bow County, Montana","taxId",29956,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6267114,"Study commission approves minutes of April 7, 2025 meeting",25,351000,376000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026&start=351&end=376","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026/thumbnail_351000.jpg","/articles/6267114/Silver-Bow-County/Montana/Study-commission-approves-minutes-of-April-7-2025-meeting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267114-d9ed854aea00f00698d440645404f021/orig.mp4?Expires=1770897663&Signature=nyeB~7TwkW55Ljhs5apA1qrlbbPLloZ5GuHcdmfyffCUax59bO5aBL-DMbzjIR40mxXj6G3DS~k7TYirfyzOyctbvnbyohK5AUEpjjHXzntXEOPSoFCbVhIF~Dibxrl0BkMMUbOqfEM-W4LY2snAwaspuSldCkXsoCYuevJjAsT9GXUhGqZM3owVcgHY0Cmq1BvSWgDE~n6-c91GQ-sYIC2NS9lOKdCk077yWGFDYhnlflYl--zcIVN-5hKQgsw9aa0dR1tuUcwzO2FZWDd0lBAEO8misqZhJyw4EoJulUoF-CA59Ok~WbbhT~EguuUOtiaKkuhCuLeqELbSpD4SEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the opening of the meeting the study commission moved to approve minutes from its April 7, 2025 session.

A motion was made to approve the April 7 minutes, a second was recorded, and the chair called for the question. Commissioners responded “Aye,” and the chair declared the motion carried unanimously.

Ending: The approval of minutes concluded the meeting’s initial business and the commission proceeded to scheduled department interviews.","The Butte‑Silver Bow study commission voted at the start of the meeting to approve minutes from its April 7, 2025 session by unanimous voice vote.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6267118,"County attorney says House Bill 547 would clarify authority over volunteer fire budgets",269,10360000,10629000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026&start=10360&end=10629","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026/thumbnail_10360000.jpg","/articles/6267118/Silver-Bow-County/Montana/County-attorney-says-House-Bill-547-would-clarify-authority-over-volunteer-fire-budgets","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267118-4c4d815f20b1572fa24f3a5e19f20b97/orig.mp4?Expires=1770897663&Signature=ksLnzddm~LVyvJxbfkK3up0mgkdxLBOjhQkzWPc2QKeLnKnDzLTlIvV~IyEfGSDM6EpRMxfVtEm1OwcyC56Qe3wBxgab0Ct1cwWU-8edR8zHMQyv3QeZ5TRav3JpP677~MitBJH-fP5Bw0DpKl~AunljKnU0d-wf1ipu8fUVzu57w--6~ZdJrZJhxMVLsEq2ynvnu-j3Ekn-QScxCsveeB90suJ7QaXv2mBcSdbOTmIAKiCHbsmfsxJGdYa8Zgv-tJCrlSTcm9IS5CFMO5BSpcbJLFyVpdOJMaf90q5gfIMTBUJTNVycPwfPtT40MJcrYX478HyfOQ7dI890ikVZQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Butte‑Silver Bow County Attorney Matt Enruth addressed recent controversy over volunteer fire‑department authority and House Bill 547 during a study commission meeting, saying the proposed legislation would correct a legal mismatch between state statute and local practice.

Enruth summarized the background: an Attorney General’s opinion interpreted state law as giving volunteer fire districts independent budget authority under Title 7. That interpretation, he said, would require volunteers to levy for their own budgets rather than receive county budget allocations. “Butte‑Silver Bow, last year alone in 2024, prosecuted over 400 felony cases,” Enruth said earlier in the meeting while discussing court workload; on the volunteer-fire matter he said the practical result prior to the bill had been confusion about whether volunteers or the county set and paid the volunteer departments’ budgets.

“I think the bill cleans that up from a legal perspective,” Enruth said of House Bill 547, explaining that if the measure passes the county’s charter and ordinances would govern fire‑department budgeting and expectations; if it does not, volunteers would retain statutory budget authority and the county would face a different legal framework.

Enruth argued House Bill 547 would restore a consistent local practice: under the county charter the county has a combined paid and volunteer fire system and the county commissioners retain authority over county budgets and decisions to alter local services. He told commissioners the bill is designed to place budgeting and chain-of-command questions under the local charter rather than the statutory interpretation that had been issued in the Attorney General’s opinion.

Several commissioners expressed concern about process and inclusion of volunteer departments when the bill was drafted. Enruth said his office handled legal analysis but was not part of the political process and recommended that the study commission consider a public, locally driven process for any future charter or ordinance changes affecting volunteers.

Ending: Enruth advised the commission that, from his office’s legal perspective, House Bill 547 would align local law with practical operations and reduce legal uncertainty; commissioners said they want to ensure volunteers and other stakeholders are fully included in any locally driven changes.","County Attorney Matt Enruth told the study commission that House Bill 547 would align state law with the county charter by returning budget authority for volunteer fire departments to the county, resolving a conflict triggered by an Attorney General opinion and prior practice.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6267122,"Clerk of District Court describes high caseload, pro se demand and courthouse security concerns",1033,6977000,8010000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026&start=6977&end=8010","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026/thumbnail_6977000.jpg","/articles/6267122/Silver-Bow-County/Montana/Clerk-of-District-Court-describes-high-caseload-pro-se-demand-and-courthouse-security-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267122-154c4291e14ae129db6608a21df5ab10/orig.mp4?Expires=1770897663&Signature=AKDzZjzQ789rOZ8KrIwR18d2b76EeXbM8ojFLxtWU~lTAB7C~wxHMXu6IVc7AQ3kfrkM1Nw7dDjVtSepsnTN-364yi5SdwrKCtqU3ua~S4fKkLMtZJUDYS0ppTSjH9SUZnsm5XnhBFyyWQ4AhEvL3lfN1AVUxF7dBTcJD9J6P2cPZsDjLkUd2erI2GdllXPOnoqgTnmY3yVi4IqYkQcPGXM2e7qIfAXtt1r~ushUwcpoW0LvigN42eyLNmRrUs7f1JUUY4lJ6SPKm0Hb1qyGp9p0aTsrYCZA7IxwnRMALeG6YRk0CnoLLGpLaqcebMGqSxVF3MnYbq38-pDJWl0sZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Beth Parks, Butte-Silver Bow County clerk of district court, described the office’s custodial and administrative duties and identified growing workload and security pressures during an interview with the study commission.

Parks said the Clerk of Court’s Office is “the keeper of the records for the district courts” and handles a broad range of civil, criminal, juvenile and probate matters, plus marriage licenses and passport acceptance. She detailed the office’s public-facing role: helping self‑represented (pro se) litigants route paperwork correctly and preparing juror notices for annual jury pools.

Why it matters: timely court administration affects case processing, defendants’ rights and public access to records. Staffing shortages or process gaps can delay justice and raise safety concerns for court personnel.

Parks said the growing number of pro se litigants creates heavy demand on staff time and recommended support for the office’s existing pro se coordinator. She also raised courthouse safety as an issue: while the office has a bailiff and a metal detector is sometimes used, multiple entry points and public interaction create potential security gaps.

County Attorney Matt Enruth provided context on caseload. “Butte‑Silver Bow, last year alone in 2024, prosecuted over 400 felony cases,” he said, and noted the county’s felony filings per capita are high compared with other Montana counties. Enruth told the commission that volume of criminal cases and mental‑health matters contributes to the clerk’s heavy workload.

Parks described staffing and pay: the office’s 2025 budgeted salaries totaled $422,488, Parks’ salary is $90,260 and deputies’ salaries range from about $45,697 to $52,176. She said clerk deputies are unionized and that pay could be higher given the volume and complexity of the work.

Commissioners discussed whether additional courthouse security measures would be appropriate and whether the county commission structure affects court administration; Parks noted most court staffing and funding decisions must follow state rules because courts are state functions housed at the county level.

Ending: Parks asked that the commission consider the clerks’ workload and the need for staffing and security measures as the study commission evaluates county structure and resource allocation.","Beth Parks, clerk of district court, told the study commission the clerk’s office is custodian of court records, supports jury processing and manages heavy caseloads that strain staffing. The county attorney noted Butte‑Silver Bow prosecuted more than 400 new felonies in 2024, placing court staff near capacity.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6267127,"Butte-Silver Bow health director outlines services, grant dependence and staffing shortages",751,4868000,5619000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026&start=4868&end=5619","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3077325-6bec0096b8291e39a62629f0d1bea026/thumbnail_4868000.jpg","/articles/6267127/Silver-Bow-County/Montana/Butte-Silver-Bow-health-director-outlines-services-grant-dependence-and-staffing-shortages","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267127-ff9467797d1b353f52a43e26f03c586f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770897663&Signature=maBlrV~JvLxKrm3nw8xcESjkMHpat9Nm12JxyobP1hCQ~TxHeZHMKlVpYB543MSNTel1U0NlzgSwaAOnxW8D2-pgCol9mxexD9HXmfZL8Hqarjc7Lyk7Tdyjmewd~NHDzYaMajKRkJR2si5gpwqriT3IUirLFeem91QtfMllOj9SxhKP~c5jjqkUIwHShAxJkv1j6PQ8Hs43qblGfptDfrQA-LJbsFY3hobqvZRIH-jm7TmTqVDLfeltLdoacylLe3Nd-ppCXp3n2AhQyTzr~NzCjtHyN2ZhwOcd3ZpGfBIupoDyAQx668gjQAZzUp7qaOuC19aCI8i5SuuFr~sXhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Karen Malogni, health officer for Butte-Silver Bow County, gave a comprehensive overview of the health department’s programs, staffing and near-term concerns during the study commission’s interview.

Malogni said the department runs two main divisions: environmental health (food safety, public‑pool inspections, on‑site wastewater and land‑sanitation reviews, air-monitoring and mosquito control) and health services (WIC, family planning, Ryan White HIV services, harm reduction and communicable-disease surveillance). “My statutory duties are listed in MCA 50‑2‑118,” she said, citing the state law that defines public-health officers’ responsibilities.

Why it matters: the county health department directly manages services that affect community safety and preventive health — vaccination clinics, communicable‑disease investigations, syringe-service and harm‑reduction programs, maternal and child services, and emergency‑preparedness functions.

Malogni said the department has 25 full‑time staff, two positions being filled and one on an “immediate wish list.” She listed programs that require sustained resources: WIC nutrition services, family planning that includes provision of certain medications and limited pharmacy services, Ryan White-funded case management for people living with HIV, and a syringe‑service program that the county operates in partnership with state services.

The department is implementing a crisis-diversion model aligned to the “somewhere-to-call, someone-to-respond, somewhere-to-go” framework (the speaker described it as a three‑legged approach). Malogni said interviews were under way for a community‑based coordinator to link clients to mental‑health, social‑service and medical resources.

Funding and staffing were central concerns. Malogni said more than half the department’s positions are grant‑funded; funding volatility has been a persistent problem. She described an instance in which one grant appeared terminated and then was reinstated within an hour, and said recent reductions in some COVID-era program funding have created shortfalls. “Last week we received a letter that one of our grants was terminated in the amount of $100,000. Within an hour we got another letter saying it was reinstated,” she said.

Accreditation is also on the department’s agenda: Malogni said the department is participating in the state’s “pathways to accreditation” process and noted Butte‑Silver Bow is the largest Montana health department not yet accredited.

Commissioners asked about building capacity and outreach. Malogni said current facilities are adequate for privacy‑sensitive services such as family planning and harm reduction but that population growth would require more nurses and sanitarians to keep up with inspections and disease investigation.

Ending: Malogni asked the commission to consider the department’s need for stable funding, competitive wages to recruit and retain clinical staff and continued investment in accreditation and emergency preparedness.","Health Officer Karen Malogni told the commission the county health department runs environmental and clinical programs — from food safety and sanitation to syringe services, WIC, family planning and a developing crisis-response model — and that more than half the staff are grant funded.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Butte-Silver Bow treasurer details tax collection, staffing and technology gaps

Study commission approves minutes of April 7, 2025 meeting

County attorney says House Bill 547 would clarify authority over volunteer fire budgets

Clerk of District Court describes high caseload, pro se demand and courthouse security concerns

Butte-Silver Bow health director outlines services, grant dependence and staffing shortages