Letter to the Editor: Vote ‘yes’ for Gallatin County local government study

Dear Editor,

Please vote “yes” on the Gallatin County’s local government study commission question! Montana’s Constitution gives us this opportunity to “peek under the hood” at our form of government every ten years. The last time Gallatin County did a robust study was in 1994. Our population has more than doubled since then, as have our service needs, community issues, and the complexity of our organization. This isn’t Grandpa’s county anymore, yet we are using the same government model (general powers county government) today as we were 50 years ago.

To be clear, if approved this study commission will be led “by the people, for the people.” Current elected officials, such as myself, will not have a seat on the study commission; rather, voters will choose citizen taxpayers to serve on this study commission, and these citizens would lead the study and make recommendations to the County and to the voters. If changes to our form of government are ultimately put forward, those changes would be put on the ballot in 2026, and voters would have the ultimate say as to whether or not they want them to be implemented.

If you vote yes, the County Commission will be allowed to fund the study commission (up to a half mill) for one year. For most homeowners, this will amount to a one-time-only increase of $1 or $2 on your tax bill, and the additional tax will go away after the one year.

If you want more information, please visit Gallatin County’s FAQ page on our website: www.gallatinmt.gov

Also, MSU’s Local Government Center has more detailed information on their website: www.montana.edu/extension/localgov/mtvoterreview/index.html

Those of us who live within municipal city limits will have two local government study commission questions on your ballot – one for the city government, and a second for the county. I live in the city of Bozeman, and I will be voting yes on both! I believe we should take this opportunity as a community to look under the hood of our local governments, and make sure that they are working to meet the needs of today, as well as the needs of tomorrow.