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Study commission approves manager-style executive, reduces commissioners; parks measure fails, reclamation added to ballot
Summary
The Butte-Silver Bow Study Commission voted May 11 to advance a city-county manager executive option and to reduce the council to four full-time commissioners (with an at-large mayor as presiding officer), approved neighborhood-council language and reclamation/Superfund recognition, and rejected a parks-and-recreation charter change and several other proposed departmental changes.
The Butte-Silver Bow Study Commission on May 11 advanced several proposed charter amendments affecting the county's government structure while rejecting others.
After discussion and minor wording changes, commissioners voted unanimously to include in the ballot packet a choice between maintaining the current elected chief executive and adopting a city-county manager form of government with an appointed manager and an at-large mayor serving as presiding officer. The motion was made and seconded during the Section 2 discussion and carried on a roll call.
The commission also approved a reduction in the legislative body: if the revised charter is adopted, the ballot question will present the option to retain the current 12 commissioners or reduce the council to four full-time commissioners elected by district (with an at-large mayor) the legislative-structure motion passed with one recorded nay.
On Section 5 the commission corrected wording and voted unanimously to present language authorizing the council of commissioners to establish formal policies and procedures for neighborhood councils while retaining existing charter language that refers to community councils.
Commissioners debated whether to memorialize parks and recreation as a separate charter department. Opponents argued the charter should remain flexible and that the council can establish departments by ordinance; proponents cited public survey support. A motion to include a parks and recreation department failed.
Conversely, the commission voted to put reclamation and environmental services (Superfund activity recognition) on the ballot, citing the department's long-term role and budgetary importance; two commissioners voted no. The body then considered a grammatical/title change for animal services (changing "manager" to "director"). That motion was decided narrowly and did not pass; commissioners asked that the topic be included in the commission's recommendation list to the Board of Commissioners and that a minority opinion be recorded in the final report.
Chair closed the meeting after instructing the county attorney to seek the Secretary of State's guidance on the fire-services structure; the commission will reconvene May 18 to act on the Secretary of State's response.
