Julia Crane, planning director for Butte-Silver Bow County, briefed the planning board on state legislative changes from the 2025 session that planning staff and county attorneys will review for local ordinance conformity.

Crane said staff will bring recommendations on a rolling basis to the planning board before forwarding amendments to the legislative body. "The Butte Silver Bow planning staff and the county's attorneys staff will be initiating a review of existing ordinances for compliance and conformity with recent legislative updates," she said.

Bills and topics flagged for review: Crane listed several categories of bills and specific measures (bills referenced in meeting text are recorded in the authorities list). Topics staff will review include: changes to foreclosure and family conveyance processes; revocation of agricultural covenants when land is annexed; transfers of open space dedication to homeowners associations under the Montana Subdivision and Platting Act; water-appropriation notice processes for subdivisions via DNRC; subdivision connection and county water/sewer system provisions; sanitation exemptions; reductions to municipal parking requirements and related part-2 zoning changes; rules for establishing, modifying or repealing municipal zoning; treatment of manufactured and factory-built housing in zoning; updates to accessory dwelling unit provisions; lake-shore protections affecting limited areas of Silver Bow County; public-notice and stop-work-order procedural clarifications; and building egress rules for certain mid-rise buildings.

Staff process: Crane said staff will follow guidance from the Montana Association of Counties and will consult county attorneys while reviewing and drafting ordinance updates. She noted that some statutory changes take effect in May or October of this year and will require prompt attention, while others will be addressed as part of broader ordinance updates.

Board reaction and next steps: Board members had no extended discussion beyond acknowledgement of the volume of changes. Crane said the staff and county attorneys will prepare ordinance amendments and present them to the board for review prior to legislative action by the commission.

This briefing did not include formal action beyond scheduling and direction to staff to review and draft amendments.