Unless stances change, it seems likely voters will get a chance next year to fundamentally change the way Butte-Silver Bow’s local government is led and managed.
Most members of the Butte-Silver Bow Study Commission signaled some level of support this week for having a professional city manager oversee day-to-day operations instead of an elected chief executive and putting that option on the ballot next year.
Dan Dennehy expressed misgivings about such a change, saying he was a traditionalist, and Matt Stepan said he still likes the “free democracy” way that allows anyone to run for chief executive and voters to choose the person.
Ben Thielen said he currently favors a city-manager model and public surveys show support for it as well, but he isn’t ready to say whether the option should be on the ballot.
But despite reservations and time for group sentiments to change, Dennehy said it’s an important issue that voters should decide and Stepan said, “I bet my state salary that this is going to end up on the ballot.”
After a 40-minute discussion Monday night, the commission voted 8-0 to include the option in an upcoming midterm report and have a subcommittee hash out duties and responsibilities a city manager would have if a change is made.
Cindy Perdue-Dolan wasn’t at the meeting but told The Montana Standard she personally believes a city-manager model has merit. Regardless, she said, Butte-Silver Bow residents should get to vote on the issue.
She noted that just six years ago, commissioners swiftly and soundly rejected a request they put a city-manager model on the ballot. Now, according to surveys, there’s significant public support for it, she said.
“I think just having this conversation is a win,” Perdue-Dolan said.
Under such a change, there would no longer be an elected chief executive, a post that’s existed since Butte and Silver Bow County were consolidated as one city-county government in 1977.
Elected commissioners would instead hire a city manager, or a “city-county manager” here, to oversee day-to-day operations of the local government. Commissioners could also fire that person.
It will be months before the Study Commission makes final decisions on what to put on the ballot late next year, so giving voters a city-manager option is not a done deal. But there’s certainly momentum toward doing so.
The Study Commission is exploring other options it could put before voters, such as reducing seats on the Council of Commissioners from 12 to five and paying them to serve full-time.
If that is done in conjunction with a city-manager model, one of the commissioners might serve as mayor who could break ties and fulfill ceremonial functions.
The Study Commission would have to hash out details on that, too, and whether all commissioners would be elected by district or if some could be elected at-large.
The Commission is also looking at possible charter changes on how paid and volunteer fire departments function and whether neighborhood councils should be formally established to funnel ideas and advice to the Council of Commissioners.
Any proposed changes would go before voters in November 2026.
Proponents of having a city manager say it would put administrative decisions in the hands of someone educated and experienced in running cities, diminish politics at the executive level, provide continuity and make the legislative branch more decisive.
Opponents believe it would wrongly take an elected position away from voters and diminish executive branch powers. They also say some city managers simply use smaller cities like Butte as stepping stones to bigger cities with bigger salaries.
Commission members cited those and other pros and cons during Monday night’s meeting and a few suggested provisions that could make a city-manager model more palatable.
Lori Casey said city managers in some Montana cities can be fired on a whim, or as she specifically put it, “If we don’t like you, you’re gone.”
But in Bozeman, she said, “If they wanted to get rid of a city manager, they had to list and go through a process of (stating) reasons why.”
“So, it just couldn’t be, ‘Well, we don’t like that particular decision,’” Casey said. “I think that’s important to help with the balance of power.”
Several members cited public sentiment.
Stepan said he struggles with the notion of taking an elected position from voters.
“But that being said, I think the responses that we’ve received have been fairly overwhelming on this topic, at least through surveys and through our public forums, our open houses, our department heads, and it works in other communities,” Stepan said.
The Study Commission has been conducting an online survey on the city-manager option and other issues and has received 419 responses so far. It said at least 375 responses were needed to be considered statistically significant.