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Commissioners discuss website, newspaper notices and surveys to reach Granite County residents
Summary
Commissioners debated creating a public website, using local newspaper notices and working with MSU to distribute surveys as part of the study commission's outreach plan.
Members of the Granite County Study Commission discussed ways to reach residents for the local-government review, including a commission-run website, newspaper public notices and surveys.
One commissioner said they will create a WordPress site called "Granite County local government study" to post materials and encourage public comment; the speaker said hosting will cost about $14 a year and that MSU (Montana State University) staff had no objection to the site. That commissioner said the site is intended for public education and materials from the course the commission is using, not for making policy decisions on behalf of the commission.
The commission discussed print notices and the cost of newspaper ads. The meeting identified Julie List as the person in charge of public notices at Bullwood News (sales@bullwoodnews.com) and raised concerns about paying for legal notices if the commission's budget is limited. Sarah, the commission's designated point of contact, will receive submitted agenda items and coordinate posting. Miranda, the commissioner's assistant, was identified as the person who posts agendas for the county commissioners and can assist with getting notices up.
Commissioners agreed they want to post notices in multiple places to increase public awareness: the Granite County website, the Town of Drummond's website and readboard, the Phillipsburg store/readboard and the post offices in Drummond and Phillipsburg. The group discussed asking Phillipsburg officials for permission to post on that town's site.
The commission also discussed survey distribution options. Members said MSU staff are working on a condensed set of survey questions and that the commission will consider whether to use MSU's template to limit printing and postage costs. The commission flagged budget constraints for mailed surveys and said it will explore MSU-supported distribution and online posting options.
No formal vote was taken; members sought confirmation from MSU staff about open-meeting limits for online communications and whether individual commissioners may exchange messages about agenda items without creating an unlawful meeting. One commissioner said MSU advised that emailing to propose agenda items is not an open-meeting violation, though the group agreed to obtain written confirmation.
Next steps: the commissioner creating the website will finalize it in one to two weeks and will share the URL; Sarah will continue to be the central point for agenda submissions and Miranda will assist with county posting procedures. The commission added "communication with the public" and "communication with studied government entities" to the February agenda.
