House Local Government Committee hears a string of bills on zoning, cemeteries, water and licensing; several advance

The House Local Government Committee met for a multi‑bill hearing and executive action session that covered local zoning cleanup, cemetery lot abandonment, water and sewer district development plans, local licensing limits, coordination of subdivision and water permitting, and confidentiality for peer support programs for first responders.

Lawmakers and stakeholders emphasized practical fixes in several bills intended to reduce legal uncertainty and speed local infrastructure and housing projects. Committee members heard lengthy discussion on how proposed changes would interact with existing state law, local authority, and administrative processes, and several measures were approved in executive action.

Representative Greg Overstreet presented House Bill 614, which would allow county commissions to terminate certain citizen‑initiated (part‑1) zoning districts when they have been superseded by broader, countywide part‑2 zoning or where local planning requirements under the Montana Land Use and Planning Act (MLUPA) have been satisfied. Supporters represented by county planning and association attorneys told the committee the bill is intended as a cleanup measure to remove outdated, overlapping zoning districts and preserve public notice and hearing processes. Montana Association of Counties’ counsel said the resolution process in the bill retains public participation.

Bill Mercer introduced House Bill 523, which would create a statutory process for counties and cemetery administrators to declare older public burial plots abandoned after specified procedures and notice — the draft sets 75 years without interment or contact with owners or heirs as the threshold. Testimony from rural residents described difficulties tracing heirs of homesteader‑era purchasers; committee members asked about safeguards, property‑tax impacts and whether technology (cadaver dogs, ground‑penetrating radar) should be required. The sponsor said the bill leaves investigative and verification steps to the cemetery administrator and that changes by amendment could address recordkeeping and notice methods in counties with no local newspaper.

Representative Courtney Springer sponsored House Bill 534, which would extend to county water and sewer districts the development‑plan mechanism DEQ previously authorized for municipalities. Under the proposal, a DEQ‑approved development…