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Residents press commissioners over NextEra-related litigation and contract disclosures
Summary
During public comment citizens demanded clarity about the county27s litigation involving NextEra and why outside parties were added to a lawsuit. Commissioners and staff said the ordinance and legal strategy are centered on zoning questions and that outside counsel may be less costly than a full-time county attorney.
Several residents used the public-comment period to press commissioners on ongoing litigation related to NextEra and local ballot/ordinance efforts, asking why the county had added entities such as Glendive Wind LLC to the lawsuit.
Dan Pike asked whether the county had voted to add private parties to litigation and urged the board to drop the suit and allow citizens to vote on the issue. Commissioners responded that the lawsuit concerns the ordinance's legality rather than the petition itself and that, under statute, necessary parties may be joined in litigation. The meeting minutes record concerns that adding parties and pursuing outside counsel had not been fully explained to the public.
Commissioners discussed the possibility of contracting outside legal counsel rather than maintaining a staff attorney. "Hiring outside legal would reduce cost to the county and provide funds for other areas in the county," a commissioner summarized in the meeting record. Multiple commenters said they felt excluded from conversations and asked for greater transparency and face-to-face meetings with commissioners before major decisions were made.
The board did not reverse or modify the litigation approach in the session; staff and the county attorney were listed as handling follow-up. Commissioners said they would continue to discuss legal strategy in closed-session or with counsel as appropriate and noted statutory constraints around communications once litigation is underway.
