Early trends in a survey held up and with final results in, more than half of respondents say Butte-Silver Bow’s form of local government is ineffective and nearly 69% think a city-county manager in charge of day-to-day operations should be explored.
The results with 421 survey responses largely mirror those in late September when only about half that number were submitted. The Butte-Silver Bow Local Government Study Commission said 375 responses were needed for a significant sample size.
The commission conducted the survey, and based on it and other feedback and factors, could put major changes to local government on the November 2026 ballot for voters to decide.
In the past few weeks, commission members showed strong support for at least two ballot measures — one that could lead to a city-county manager model of local government and one that could reduce seats on the 12-member Council of Commissioners.
Final decisions on any ballot measures and their precise wording are likely months away, but commission members, citing the survey results, have tentatively agreed that voters should get to decide those two questions.
According to final survey results, with percentages rounded by The Montana Standard, 52% of respondents said the current structure (an elected chief executive with administrative and executive powers) is not effective. About 30% said it is effective and 17% were not sure.
The survey noted that some communities use a professional city manager, hired by the council, to manage day-to-day operations.
When asked if they support exploring such a model, 44% said they strongly support it and 24% “somewhat support” it. They equal nearly 69% combined. About 18% were strongly or somewhat opposed and the rest were neutral.
There are 12 seats on the Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners. About 63% of respondents said that is too many, about 28% said it is “about right” and about 9% were unsure.
When asked if they would support fewer commissioners if it meant they served full-time, 61% said yes, 19% said no and 20% were not sure.
When asked if they would support fewer commissioners if they remained part-time as they are now, 53% still said yes, about 30% said no and the rest were not sure.
On another topic, nearly 90% of survey respondents said they’re aware of conflicts between paid and volunteer fire departments in Butte-Silver Bow. Respondents also weighed in on possible changes to how fire services are structured and governed.
The commission took in months of input from citizens, volunteer firefighters and paid firefighters and administrators, and a commission working group, or subcommittee, was recently established to study the issue further and recommend reforms that could be put before voters.
But unlike the city-county manager and council issues, the commission has given no strong signals on what firefighter governance reforms if any it might ultimately recommend. And the survey questions on that topic don’t touch on all the intricacies in play.
There are conflicts between local charter provisions and state law that might be hard to overcome, and there are complexities involving funding and taxes, training, volunteer district boundaries, equipment, insurance and other matters.
Dan Dennehy, vice chairman of the nine-member study commission, said working groups on city-manager and council issues have numerous examples of how other communities in Montana go about things.
But Butte-Silver Bow is a consolidated city-county government and has unique conflicts involving paid and volunteer fire departments. The working group on that topic has an especially big challenge, Dennehy said.
“This working group will need every bit of information you can get to make your decision and bring it back here for discussion,” Dennehy told fellow commission members on Nov. 10. “This is a new ball game.”
Survey results were compiled by Shanna Adams, who has coordinated outreach efforts for the commission. The Standard will touch on other aspects of a summary report on those efforts in a future story.