The Granite County Study Commission voted to approve its draft voter questionnaire with a revision suggested by Dan Clark of the NSU Local Government Center and authorized staff to circulate the survey within three weeks.

The approval, made during the commission's regular meeting, adds language explaining that adoption of self-governing powers would require voter approval of a county charter, and directs staff to send the questionnaire with a short introduction and return instructions. The commission also set outreach goals — visits to community organizations and updates to the commission web page — to accompany the mail survey.

The change to the survey came after commission staff read aloud Dan Clark's recommended wording. Staff member Sarah read the paragraph: "The adoption of self governing powers is always preempted by the voter approval of a county charter, which essentially serves as a county constitution, establishing the powers, structures, privileges, rights, and duties of the county government, including specific characteristics such as elected officials' length of term length of terms, partisan or nonpartisan elections, and which officers of the county can be appointed instead of elected." The commission voted to keep the self-governing paragraph in the one-page form with Clark's revisions.

Commissioners debated whether the question about self-governing versus general powers might confuse voters. Commissioner Elena Gagliano and other members warned that the distinction is complex and could lead respondents to assume changes that already exist under current law. Commissioner Jackie said parts of the topic could be "too deep" for a single-question survey and urged careful phrasing so the form does not mislead.

Commissioner Luke said the commission needs an initial measure to gauge countywide interest, noting that town-by-town results (Phillipsburg and Drummond were discussed during the meeting) may differ from countywide sentiment. "We're just trying to get feedback," a commissioner said during debate, adding that town residents could still vote "no" on any later ballot proposal.

After discussion, a motion to approve the questionnaire with Clark's suggested revisions passed. The roll-call style vote recorded one abstention: Elaine (last name not specified) abstained; other votes were recorded in favor. The commission instructed staff to add a short cover letter explaining the survey and how to return it.

Beyond approving the questionnaire, commissioners authorized outreach to local organizations and venues to publicize the survey and explain the study commission's work. Commissioners agreed to contact groups including Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, library branches, senior centers, and the airport board; they also discussed presenting at regular meetings of those groups rather than scheduling separate events. Several commissioners volunteered to split outreach responsibilities and attend in pairs when possible.

The commission discussed website and communications logistics: posting the survey and upcoming meeting dates on the commission web page, adding contact information, and running a recurring newspaper column summarizing the study commission's work and the survey. The commission also noted an existing annual web expense of $159.90 that was previously authorized.

The meeting included a visitor from Montana PBS, who said his outlet is covering local government review processes statewide and would stay in touch to gather perspectives. Dan Clark of the NSU Local Government Center was not present in person; commissioners had received his suggested edits by email and read them into the record.

The commission set its next regular meeting for October 22 at 6 p.m. at the Granite County Courthouse and directed staff to circulate the finalized questionnaire, including the introductory paragraph and return instructions, within three weeks. Commissioners also discussed holding separate work sessions to draft materials and prepare outreach so the public-facing meetings can focus on formal actions and public comment.

The commission's action affects registered voters in Granite County: the survey is intended to measure public interest and inform whether the county should pursue charter creation or other changes to county governance. No ballot measure or change was adopted at the meeting; the approved step is the survey and accompanying outreach.