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State lawmaker urges Daniels County to press for entitlement formula changes and raises state lands concerns
Summary
An unnamed state lawmaker visiting the commission encouraged early bill submission, offered to shepherd local ideas at the legislature, and said Daniels County is disadvantaged by the current state entitlement/PILT calculations, urging outreach and coalition building in Helena.
An unnamed state lawmaker met with the Daniels County commissioners to solicit local input and to encourage early submission of draft bills for the next legislative session. She told commissioners the sooner subjects are drafted and submitted the higher they appear on the session agenda and said she can introduce or sponsor up to three draft topics for constituents.
The lawmaker pressed a broader policy concern: she said the state entitlement formula disadvantagessome counties, and she portrayed Daniels County as an outlier that receives very little in state PILT or related entitlement payments compared with other counties that benefit more from population‑based or road‑formula components. She encouraged local leaders to raise awareness in Helena and suggested working together with neighboring counties or bill sponsors to adjust the formula or related distributions.
The visitor also described recent meetings with the Department of Environmental Quality (water issues) and with Dawson Community College on education partnerships. She said officials in Helena and agency staff can help local governments by reviewing prior bills, identifying why earlier proposals failed and shaping a more successful approach. She urged interested parties to contact her office soon so her staff can prioritize topics for next session.
The board received the remarks as informational; no formal action or formal endorsement was recorded during the meeting.
