Study commission told state law limits charter ballot items to one question with up to three suboptions

County Attorney Matt Enruth told the Butte‑Silver Bow Local Government Study Commission on Oct. 6 that state statute constrains what the commission may submit to voters, and he urged commissioners to read the memoranda and email examples he provided from Ravalli County. "A study commission's recommendation of an alternative form or plan of government must be submitted to the voters, as an election conducted under section 149," Enruth said as he walked commissioners through the relevant Montana Code sections.

The guidance matters because commissioners had been discussing multiple possible charter changes, including the method for selecting a county chief executive, whether to redraft the entire charter and the number and terms of commissioners. Enruth summarized the…