Study commission votes to include city/county manager option in preliminary report, forms subcommittee

The Butte-Silver Bow Study Commission voted unanimously on Oct. 27 to include an option for a city/county manager form of government in its preliminary report and to form a four-member subcommittee to draft duties and proposed charter language.

"I'll make a substitute motion, that we put in the preliminary report the option of a city city county manager form of government and prepare a subcommittee to do the write up for it," Commissioner Laurie Casey moved; the motion was seconded and, after discussion, carried unanimously.

The commission spent more than an hour debating the tradeoffs between retaining the elected chief executive and moving to a professional manager. Supporters of the manager model cited continuity and professional administration. Commissioner Cindy Shaw said continuity was a significant pro and noted department heads have expressed interest in a professional manager. Commissioners who favored retaining the elected chief executive cited tradition and balance of powers; Commissioner Dan Dennehy said the current form preserves a separation between legislative and executive authority.

Staff presented public participation data during the debate: 419 survey responses to date, more than 1,900 individual open-ended answers and about 60 handwritten comments from listening sessions. Commissioners discussed summarizing open-ended responses and including representative comments in their public involvement report; staff said the full set of responses will be provided as part of the record.

Commissioners referenced Montana law and examples from other Montana charters when discussing structural details. Several asked that the subcommittee consider removal and discipline procedures for a manager (citing Bozeman as an example where removal requires a public process) and whether a mayor would be elected and serve primarily ceremonial duties or have tie-breaking authority on the commission.

The chair instructed staff to poll commissioners about subcommittee membership and confirmed the next full commission meeting will take up the number and structure of commissioners on Nov. 3. Commissioners said any subcommittee drafts will return to the full commission for deliberation and an official vote before moving to a final report or ballot language.

The commission also discussed workshop formats and timelines for drafting language for the ballot; several commissioners favored subcommittees doing detailed drafting and returning proposed language and pros/cons to the full commission for approval.