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Senate panel hears bill to standardize municipal public notices
Summary
The Senate Local Government Committee heard House Bill 394, which would standardize municipal public noticing timelines by moving from calendar days to business-day notice windows and creating a short and long notice option. Supporters said the change simplifies administration and public understanding; no formal vote was taken.
House Bill 394, which would standardize how cities and towns publish public notices, was introduced to the Montana Senate Local Government Committee on Jan. 1, 2025, by Representative Larry Brewster.
Supporters told the committee the bill simplifies and clarifies existing, varying municipal noticing rules by creating a short window and a long window measured in business days rather than calendar days. Mike Maas, the city clerk in Bozeman, testified that the change "aims to simplify and standardize noticing requirements for cities and towns to make it easier for city clerks to administer and for the public to understand." He said the bill models its timelines on existing land-use notice windows found in Title 76, adopting five business days for short notices and 15 business days for long notices in many cases.
Proponents said the measure would reduce staff time and eliminate confusing, overlapping timelines in which residents currently may receive multiple, separate notices for assessments, budget hearings and major land-use decisions. Maas explained that switching to business days avoids problems caused when publication deadlines fall on weekends or holidays and matches notice periods already used for many land-use items.
Committee members asked how the change would work in practice for communities that rely on weekly newspapers. Maas acknowledged that in communities with weekly publications the shift from calendar days to business days could extend the calendar time between notice and hearing, but said proponents believe the business-day standard is clearer for clerks and the public. Representative Brewster told the committee counties had identified a single wording issue related to Labor Day that would be addressed in an amendment before executive action.
The committee took no formal action. The hearing closed and the sponsor said he will provide a technical amendment to address the Labor Day concern before the bill is scheduled for executive action.
