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Committee Hears Bill to Standardize Municipal Public Notices; Clerks Back Change to Business Days
Summary
House Bill 394 would standardize municipal public noticing timelines and move certain timing rules from calendar days to business days (short and long notice windows). Municipal clerks told the committee the change simplifies administration and reduces public confusion; a minor county wording concern will be addressed by amendment.
Representative Larry Brewster opened HB 394 as a cleanup bill intended to standardize how clerks and large cities issue official notices. "...they have rewritten this code...it's a good cleanup bill," Brewster said.
Wendy Dixon offered brief proponent testimony in support. Mike Maas, city clerk in Bozeman, testified online in detail, saying the bill simplifies and standardizes noticing requirements, reduces staff workload and helps the public by aligning notice windows into a short or long period. Maas explained the bill converts calendar‑day timelines to business‑day timelines, creating two standardized timelines (5 business days or 15 business days before hearings), modeled on timelines commonly used in title 76 land‑use provisions (he referenced "4127"). He said the change provides flexibility when holidays fall on publication days and that the Clerks Association, including members in weekly‑paper communities, reviewed and supported the approach.
Committee members asked whether changing to business days might delay notice in communities served by weekly newspapers; Maas said the association considered those concerns and that the change should make scheduling clearer. Representative Brewster closed noting a small county wording issue related to Labor Day that will be handled as an amendment.
The committee closed the hearing on HB 394 with the sponsor signaling an amendment to address the county wording concern.
