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County adopts ordinance to formalize community councils; residents raise concerns about appointment vs. election
Summary
Missoula County adopted an ordinance to bring community councils into compliance with Montana law by creating them through ordinance with appointed membership; residents from Lolo and other communities urged keeping election options or adding flexibility to preserve representation and boost attendance.
Missoula County commissioners adopted an ordinance and related resolutions Thursday to formalize the county’s community councils under state law and reestablish seven councils, but several residents urged the board to preserve community representation and participation.
Chris Lounsbury, the county’s chief administrative officer, explained the ordinance corrects a prior process that had created community councils by resolution and public vote. Under the county’s elected‑official form of government and the relevant Montana Code Annotated subsections, Lounsbury said councils must be created by ordinance and membership must be by appointment rather than by election.
Several community members from Lolo and other areas spoke during the hearing. Patrick Moore (Lowell Community Council) and other speakers said they were concerned that moving from elected to appointed positions could reduce community representation and attendance. "If the commissioners do this... we don't even know, how do we know there's appropriate representation?" Moore asked. Other commenters suggested retaining flexible council sizes (five or seven members) to reflect differences in community capacity.
County staff and commissioners responded that the county must follow the statute for the county’s current form of government and that appointment processes typically include application steps; staff said bylaws updates remain a separate process and are not before the board for adoption today. Commissioners voted to adopt the ordinance and the resolutions reestablishing the Bonner/Milltown, Clinton, East Missoula, Lolo, Seeley Lake, Swan and West Valley community councils.
The ordinance standardizes membership numbers, public records and reporting requirements, and processes for establishing or dissolving councils in rare circumstances. Residents said they will continue to press for ways to improve representation and participation, including exploring potential changes to county government form or state law if they wish to restore elected community councils.
