Study commission recommends shrinking B-SB council members, hiring city-county manager

Study commission chair Rayelynn Brandl said the commission approved the ballot questions to appear on November's general election ballot during its meeting last week. Voters will answer a question of whether they want to update the city-county charter and sub-questions based on the study commission's recommendations.

Under the study commission's recommendations, voters could shrink the council of commissioners from 12 to four and add a mayor to help guide policy decisions in the city-county. The commissioners and mayor would serve as full-time, salaried city-county employees. Commissioners would come from four districts, while the mayor would be elected countywide.

Brandl said that during listening sessions, the study commission was told Butte-Silver Bow's existing structure made it difficult to get questions answered and to ensure the council of commissioners has enough time to consider its decisions.

By making the commissioner positions full-time, Brandl said, it would allow them sufficient time to visit with constituents and consider issues.

"We're hopeful that's how it will go," Brandl said.

Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher has some concern there wouldn't be enough work to justify having full-time commissioners, though.

"They would be sitting next to the city manager, essentially, on a day-to-day basis ... essentially overseeing one person that they have oversight of. I think that can cause some challenges for the city manager," Gallagher said.

Should voters want to hire a city-county manager, doing so would nix the city-county’s chief executive position, an elected office that has existed since voters consolidated the government.

It could be nice, though. Electing a mayor and hiring a city-county manager could help divide responsibilities that currently rest solely on the chief executive’s job description, Gallagher said. Currently, the chief executive handles administrative and day-to-day business of Butte-Silver Bow, while also presiding over council of commissioners meetings and attending various events.

Under the recommended changes, a city-county manager would handle administrative and day-to-day oversight while a mayor would preside over meetings and attend events on behalf of the city-county.

Last year, opponents of hiring a city-county manager said some may use Butte as a stepping stone to work in bigger cities paying bigger salaries. At the same time, proponents said it could remove politics from the city-county’s executive branch and provide continuity.

Concerns over a city-county manager using Butte as a stepping stone are misguided, Brandl said, and assume someone who does not currently live in the community would be hired for the role. She said Montana’s city managers tend to work in their communities longer than in other states, and added that there are plenty of qualified Butte-Silver Bow residents who could serve in the position.

Shrinking the council of commissioners, electing a mayor and hiring a city-county manager could come at an increased cost. According to the final report, Butte-Silver Bow Finance and Budget Director Karen Hassler determined it could cost between $160,000 and $244,000 more per year to do so.

The study commission, though, still wanted to move forward with its recommendation.

"We felt like the trade-off with regard to what we would be earning in resources and services would be worth the investment," Brandl said.

Voters authorized the study commission in the 2024 primary election before electing nine members in the general that year. The city-county consolidation charter was last reviewed about 20 years ago, according to the report.

The final report is available on the Butte-Silver Bow website. The study commission also recommended creating a reclamation and environmental services department, as well as replacing existing provisions related to Butte-Silver Bow fire protection to improve clarity.

The general election this year will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3.