County attorney presents draft interlocal agreement to form town–county planning board with Hysham

Treasure County’s attorney presented a draft interlocal agreement to consolidate the county planning board with the Town of Hysham planning board into a single town–county planning board. Trisha, the county attorney, told commissioners she had copied the statutory language into the draft (section 3) to preserve required appointment rules, and proposed a seven‑member board with additional town appointees and budget‑sharing language in a section that would be revisited annually. She flagged a statutory wrinkle that county appointees must reside in the county (not the town) and suggested staggered two‑year appointments for some members to align terms. Mayor Ken Rowlandson of the town (present for the discussion) and county staff reviewed the draft’s funding section (section 6) that proposes a capped town contribution for the first year and a process to include the town in budget hearings. Trisha said the first year should be covered by a grant the town received and that she would bring a final agreement to the town council next week for review. Commissioners asked staff to circulate the draft to planning board members for comments. Trisha said the planning board could later propose bylaw changes to adapt the county board’s bylaws for the consolidated body. No final vote was taken; commissioners agreed to place a finalized agreement on a future agenda after town council review.

Ending — Next steps: the county attorney will take the draft to the town council and return a finalized interlocal agreement for the commissioners to sign once both parties finish their reviews.