Missoula County staff brief commissioners on several Montana bills, including procurement, voter registration and recall changes

Missoula County officials and staff reviewed a package of Montana bills during an administrative meeting Jan. 14, saying the county plans to support measures to extend contract terms and to allow online voter registration, while opposing proposals they say would limit local funding flexibility or complicate county finances.

County staff described House Bill 113 as a bill the county supports. "House Bill 113 ... is up this week for hearing that we are supporting," said Chris Lansbury, a county staff member presenting legislative updates. The bill would allow some local government contracts, particularly software agreements, to extend from the current seven-year standard to up to 10 years, the presenter said; staff argued longer terms can reduce disruptive, frequent software replacements.

Staff also said they support Senate Bill 8, which would permit online voter registration. "Conceptually it's a good idea if we offer more opportunities for folks to be able to register to vote," Lansbury said, while noting technical challenges in how systems will share information.

County staff reported opposition to House Bill 20, a proposal to require all voted levies be stated as fixed-dollar amounts rather than as mills. Staff said the county opposed the bill…