Butte Silver Bow Study Commission Public Hearing on Charter Changes - September 29, 2025
Butte Silver Bow Study Commission Public Hearing on Charter Changes - September 29, 2025
The Butte Silver Bow Study Commission held a public hearing to gather input on potential charter changes. The meeting began with a presentation on outreach efforts for a community survey, followed by public testimony on four key topics: neighborhood councils, fire services, the number of commissioners, and the form of government (chief executive vs. city manager). The commission also accepted general comments not falling under these topics.
Presentation on Survey Outreach
- Shana Adams provided an overview of initial outreach efforts. Survey responses indicate resident interest in changes to local government structure, transparency, and technology. Comments expressed frustrations with underfunded departments and a desire for accountability. The survey is still open, with approximately 60 new responses from a recent newspaper article. Commissioners discussed ways to increase participation, including offering hard copies at locations like KBOW radio and the Chamber.
Public Comments & Testimony
Neighborhood Councils
- Dan Banderob (2601 Grand Avenue) proposed that the charter include provisions for neighborhood community improvement councils by commissioner district, with commissioners acting as instigators and coordinators (no vote). He suggested an annual delegate to a Greater Butte Silverbow Community Council to make advisory recommendations.
- Larry Winstlow argued that community councils are already law and criticized the current government for lack of communication and accountability. He stated he would take the issue to district court.
- Karen Sargent (3021 Josephine Street) expressed support for community councils to improve accountability and representation.
Fire Services
- J.R. Richardson (1303 Caledonia Street), former fire coordinator, provided historical context: the fire coordinator position was eliminated in the 1995–96 charter because the role had become largely budgetary, with the fire chief assuming operational duties. He noted that volunteer-paid squabbles were minimal by the end.
- Ted Burry (922 Lexington Avenue), former commissioner, submitted written comments and thanked the commission.
- Karen Sargent, with 30 years of first responder experience, urged the removal of all volunteer wording from the charter, specifically section 7.03.
- Dan Banderob discussed the history of volunteer fire departments (VFDs), noting they were originally for county areas now within city limits. He emphasized the need to decide on absorption or continuation and raised issues about funding and community center roles.
- Jake Hanley (3485 Quincy), on behalf of IAFF Local 96, argued that VFDs receiving public funds should be governed by the legislative branch like the career department. He described a "gray area" and cited legal requirements for rural fire districts. He criticized VFDs for not complying with testing requirements (SCBA and pump tests) and warned of liability. He supported a unified department as attempted in 1996.
- Connor O'Neill (725 13th Street) noted that in 1996, over 7,800 voters approved amendments to unify fire services, and called for honoring that decision. He said volunteers need structure and accountability, not elimination.
Number of Commissioners
- Larry Winstlow stated that 12 commissioners are unnecessary and that they do not listen to the community.
- Dan Banderob suggested that if commissioners are to have additional neighborhood duties, they should be paid a living wage but limited to policy-making. He proposed equal representation for city and county based on population.
- Karen Sargent argued that five full-time commissioners would be more efficient and should govern a city manager.
Chief Executive vs. City Manager
- Larry Winstlow advocated for eliminating the chief executive position, calling it a dictator role, and supported a city manager with community councils.
- Bob Worley (3405 Wharton Street) supported a city manager and a five-member full-time commission, arguing that a professional city manager brings expertise in personnel, finance, and department management.
- Dan Strisick (3235 Wharton Street), former commissioner and business owner, recommended a city manager style to remove politics and add accountability. He also raised the need for a strong Superfund coordinator and cited past losses due to lack of oversight.
- Dan Banderob supported a city manager but proposed a council chair elected at-large to interface with the manager, with a community council nominating the manager and having termination recommendation authority.
- Karen Sargent, with experience as interim city manager in Polson, supported a city manager form with careful qualification selection, involving public and department heads in the hiring process.
General Public Comments
- Larry Winstlow urged the commission to study legal violations he claims exist in local government.
- Mary New Fitzpatrick (1901 Roberts Avenue), a senior citizen, expressed concern about potential tax increases from hiring full-time commissioners and a city manager.
Key Outcomes
- The public hearing was closed after all comments were received.
- The commission announced its next bi-weekly meeting on October 6 at 5 PM.
- No votes were taken during this hearing; it was solely for public input.
Meeting Transcript
Size for the amount of voters that are in Butte Silverbow. So hopefully we'll get a few more over the next month or so. Survey responses indicate that residents are interested, potentially interested in seeing changes to their local government, including number of commissioners, the form of local government, and how decisions are made. Some of the comments expressed various frustrations with local government. There were a lot of discussions about transparency, improving technology, improving the way that residents are able to interact with their local government. You can kind of read through each of these topics that were summarized. So one under the government structure section was we need highly qualified people making a few key decisions, fewer meetings, less administrative business, and more focus on issues that matter. Under the city manager model, one comment that kind of kind of stood out to me was Butte is a highly complicated city with lingering perception and economic issues. The city manager is clearly the best solution for this role. One comment was neighborhood councils would help make sure commissioners vote for what their district wants, not just what they want personally. There was discussion about how neighborhood councils work in other communities, and that they you know could all have a similar format, similar bylaws, that type of thing, and that's a way for residents to kind of another method for them to have their voices heard. There were a lot of comments on the fire department. One was when it comes to fighting fires, there should never be confusion. A system with clear control and authority while maintaining some autonomy for volunteers would be ideal. Most of these are anonymous, so they don't have names to them. The survey was also anonymous, saw those comments come in just without a name associated. You know, we do know that we are our local governments often are a steer, you know, they're they're making do with what they have. Um departments were particularly talked about as being underfunded. Um of the quotes was the library is underfunded and understaffed. Most departments are doing the best they can, but they're stretched thin, and I think that was a sentiment that was repeated pretty much by every department head that came and spoke to the commission. Lots of comments about transparency, like I said before, um, and improving just the technology and the ease with which people interact with their local government. So one comment on transparency was post-meeting announcements, videos, and draft minutes within 48 hours. People want to know what decisions are being made and why. So public safety and confidence in local government were frequent themes. Umrage the study commission to consider structural reforms, while others emphasize the importance of building trust and accountability. And one comment that I wanted to share. Uh, thank you for your hard work on this. This is a pivotal point for Butte, and we have a real opportunity to improve how our government works. So again, just wanted to provide a brief overview of the outreach efforts for this initial phase. Um, there will be a report compiled for the commission that's a much more in-depth um summary of all the comments. So, any questions? Ms. Dolan? Thank you, Madam Chair. Um Shana, thank you so much for this information. Very helpful. I just wanted to ask, I keep getting questions from people on the street that want to know how can we get more people to do the survey. The survey really is a critical piece, and to get more respondents, more folks across the board that may not engage in you know public meetings every week. Um, but uh any more ideas on that? Uh great question, Commissioner. Um, we have had a really good response from the article in the Montana Standard a few days ago. Um they did a great job of putting the the link and the QR code. We got another maybe 60 in the last couple of days, so that's been really effective. Um has gone out in all the newsletters, social media, um, the water bill. The responses do keep coming in. I'll say that. The few more trickle in every day. So, like I said, I'm hoping to get at least maybe a hundred more in the next month or so. Um, but I think we can push it out through all of those avenues again. I think as this process goes on, there's more awareness created in the community.
openpublica.com