Butte Silver Bow Study Commission Meeting - October 27, 2025

The October 27, 2025, meeting of the Butte Silver Bow Study Commission began with the Pledge of Allegiance and public comments, followed by the approval of October 20th minutes and scheduling deliberations for late November and December. Commissioners discussed the formation of subcommittees to draft language for potential ballot measures and engaged in a detailed debate comparing the current Chief Executive/Council form of government against a proposed City-County Manager form. The meeting concluded with a unanimous vote to include the City-County Manager option in the preliminary report and the formation of a subcommittee to research and draft the necessary charter language.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the October 20th, 2025, meeting with grammatical and spelling corrections only. The motion to approve carried unanimously with Mr. Thielen making the motion and Mr. Casey seconding it.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Karen Sargent: A professional emergency first responder with 30 years of experience who lives at 3021 Josephine Street. She expressed that while she respects individual firefighters, she has experienced "distrust, disrespect, and disdain" from the upper administration (officers, battalion chiefs, and fire chief) of the career Fire Department. She stated she was treated with nothing but respect by the commission and urged the body to remove specific sections of the fire department charter (7.03, subsections A, D, E, and F) to allow volunteer departments to operate under current state laws governing district establishment. She clarified this request is within the commission's scope and does not impact the form of government.

Discussion Items

• Schedule and Work Process: Commissioners established a timeline for deliberations, including sessions on the City Manager/Chief Executive (Nov 3), reduction of Commissioners (Nov 3/related), Fire Departments (Nov 10), Neighborhood Councils (Nov 17), Coroner/Superfund Coordinator (Dec 1), and Cleanup/Charter Walkthrough (Dec 8). Commissioners debated the method for drafting ballot language, agreeing that general deliberations should happen in the full body while specific language drafting and "workshopping" could be delegated to subcommittees working via email or private meetings to avoid quorum issues, provided all findings return to the full commission for a public vote.
• Op-Ed and Survey Data: Mr. Steppen presented a draft op-ed regarding extending the timeline to gather more input. Ms. Adams reported the survey has received 419 responses (exceeding the statistically reliable sample of 375), with over 1,900 responses to open-ended questions and 60 handwritten comments from listening sessions.
• Chief Executive vs. City-County Manager Deliberation: Commissioners debated the pros and cons of switching from an elected Chief Executive to a City-County Manager.
  • Support for City Manager (Ms. Casey, Mr. Selk, Ms. McCormick, Mr. Steppen): Speakers argued that a City Manager provides necessary "continuity" in long-term planning, which is currently threatened by the political turnover of elected Chiefs. They expressed concern that under the current system, department heads shift priorities every four years based on the Chief's agenda. They noted that survey data and department heads overwhelmingly support this change for efficiency and professional management.
  • Support for Chief Executive (Mr. Denehee, Mr. Thielen): Mr. Denehee, a self-described "traditionalist," argued that the current form maintains a crucial "balance of powers" where the executive branch is separate from and equal to the legislative branch, preventing the council from having unchecked control. He emphasized the democratic right of any 18-year-old citizen to run for the Chief position, contrasting this with the restricted eligibility of a professional manager. He expressed concern that a City Manager form could lead to an imbalance of power. Mr. Thielen initially expressed support for the change but questioned the role of the Mayor under a City Manager system and ultimately stated he was not ready to vote for the proposal on the ballot without further exploration of other options.
  • Procedural Concerns: Commissioners discussed the need for checks and balances in the removal of a City Manager, citing Bozeman's charter which requires a process and public hearing for removal, rather than serving "at the pleasure" of the council. They also discussed whether a Mayor should be elected, noting state law places the Mayor in the legislative branch, and debated the Mayor's potential role as a tiebreaker or ceremonial figurehead.
• Comparisons to Other Municipalities: Mr. Shaw and Ms. Adams noted the difficulty in comparing Butte-Silver Bow to other municipalities due to its consolidated form and unique population size, while Mr. Denehee noted that Helena's open position pays between $175,000 and $205,000.

Key Outcomes

• Motion Carried unanimously: The commission moved to include the option of a City-County Manager form of government in the preliminary report to be sent to the public. Additionally, the commission voted to form a subcommittee to outline the duties, responsibilities, and specific charter language for this form of government. The subcommittee is to return their findings to the full commission for a vote.
• Subcommittee Formation: Commissioners volunteered to serve on the subcommittee, with specific mentions of Mr. Denehee and Ms. Casey (who declined Saturday meetings).
• Next Meeting: Scheduled for November 3rd to address the structure and number of City Commissioners.
• Future Deliberations: A vote will occur later in the process to determine the final questions to be placed on the ballot among the three primary form-of-government questions (Chief vs. Manager, number of commissioners, districting vs. at-large) and additional cleanup language questions.