Resident proposes three-tier neighborhood, district and greater community councils; commissioners ask feasibility questions

Butte-Silver Bow — A member of the public proposed a three-tier model of neighborhood community improvement councils, district assemblies and a Greater Butte‑Silver Bow Community Council that would nominate delegates and forward consensual neighborhood project recommendations to the council of commissioners. At the public‑comment portion of the meeting, Ed Bandraub presented a written proposal and urged the commission to include language in the charter authorizing community councils and an annual district assembly that would select a delegate to a Greater Butte‑Silver Bow Community Council. “There shall be authorized a Greater Butte Silver Bow Community Council to advise the council of commissioners,” Bandraub read, urging that the body consist of one delegate from each commissioner district and that neighborhood councils be charged with bringing consensual neighborhood improvement project proposals forward. Commissioners thanked Bandraub for the submission and said they would add his written material to the record and deliberate. Some members expressed practical concerns about feasibility and volunteer capacity: Commissioner Cindy Perdue Dolan said she supports neighborhood councils in principle but worried that creating three formal layers could add bureaucracy and make public engagement harder to sustain. The commission agreed to add a future agenda item specifically titled “discussion of neighborhood councils and community councils” so residents who want to talk about the idea can present in a forum designed for dialogue. Public‑engagement context: Commissioners reported robust turnout at recent open‑house events and encouraged residents to complete the commission’s survey. Staff noted the survey’s preliminary results and promised to make compiled responses and the sticky‑note comment summaries available to commissioners.