Butte Silver Bow Study Commission Meeting Summary - December 1, 2025
Butte Silver Bow Study Commission Meeting: December 1, 2025
The Butte Silver Bow Study Commission convened to finalize its charter update timeline, address public concerns regarding citizen participation procedures, and gather expert testimony on the coroner's office and superfund management. The meeting featured a shift toward intensive working group sessions to draft charter amendments, alongside contentious public comments and testimony from legal and medical experts regarding the future of local governance and departmental structures.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes from the November 17, 2025, meeting were approved unanimously on motion by Commissioner Shaw.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dan Clark (representing Greeley Neighborhood Community Development Corporation and a triad of concerned citizens):
- Expressed strong opposition and irritation regarding the current local government system, citing a local government study commission survey where 79% of respondents indicated dissatisfaction with the unrepresentative system.
- Stated support for a system requiring commissioners to hold regular interactive, consensus-drawing decision-making sessions rather than just listening sessions.
- Expressed opposition to the current public comment procedure, arguing that the Commission is ignoring a Montana Supreme Court ruling that requires public bodies to encourage and assist public participation in the decision-making process before final action is taken.
- Dan Strizek:
- Expressed support for moving the Superfund issue forward on the agenda, noting it is a very important issue that requires serious deliberation.
- Ed Banderob:
- Expressed concern that the Commission is not adequately incorporating public input into the decision-making process and that the current procedure does not fulfill the intent of the Montana Supreme Court rulings.
- Expressed opposition to the current administrative precedent regarding public comment scheduling.
- Commissioner Thielen:
- Expressed offense at the accusations made by Mr. Clark regarding the Commission's work ethic and stated disinterest in hearing further complaints on the matter.
Discussion Items
Timeline and Working Group Strategy
- Commissioner Denehy proposed that the commission use the remainder of December to work exclusively in working groups to finalize draft proposals, suggesting a move from weekly full-body meetings to bi-weekly meetings limited to working group reports.
- Commissioner McCormick expressed strong support for this motion, emphasizing the need to get concrete proposals on paper to meet tight deadlines, noting that working groups do not require extensive public participation during the drafting phase.
- Commissioner Dolan expressed conditional support but raised a concern regarding transparency, specifically noting that the upcoming discussions with the Anaconda Fire Department should remain in public view to ensure community access to that specific information.
- County Attorney Enruth issued a point of order, expressing concern that suspending open meetings for working groups would likely violate Montana open meeting laws, suggesting that working groups operate independently of the public meeting schedule.
- The commission voted in favor of a motion to meet bi-weekly on December 1st, 15th, and 29th, with agendas limited to working group reports, allowing working groups to conduct their deliberations privately during the interim.
Coroner's Office Structure
- Dan Hagerty (former Sheriff/Coroner):
- Expressed support for combining the coroner role with the sheriff's department, arguing that combining the roles makes law enforcement "better cops" and provides crucial investigative context at death scenes.
- Stated opposition to the idea that an elected civilian coroner is as qualified as a law enforcement officer for the role.
- Jason Parrish (Citizen Coroner):
- Expressed support for maintaining an independent, civilian coroner's office, arguing that it provides a more unbiased and humane view, particularly in cases involving law enforcement custody.
- Expressed support for elected coroners, noting that elections allow the people to speak against potential "old boys society" appointments, provided voters are well-informed.
- Suggested that qualifications for a future elected coroner should include a four-year degree in a health-related field or EMT/Paramedic certification with field experience.
- Commissioner Shaw:
- Expressed support for the idea of creating a dedicated working group on the coroner issue and highlighted the need for the Sheriff's Department to weigh in on the combination proposal.
Superfund Coordinator and Administrative Departments
- Representatives of a citizen group (via letter):
- Expressed support for establishing an independent Superfund Coordinator who is not involved with local government to ensure thorough evaluation of legal and environmental decisions.
- Commissioner McCormick and Commissioner Shaw:
- Expressed skepticism and concern regarding the study commission's jurisdiction to recommend positions outside the local government purview, questioning the feasibility of recommending an independent coordinator.
- Eric Hassler (Director of Reclamation and Environmental Services):
- Expressed support for memorializing the Superfund department in the charter as a standalone entity rather than a coordinator role, arguing that the current charter language is antiquated and that a director-level standalone department provides better "memorialization" of its permanency.
- Expressed support for the idea that department titles (Coordinator vs. Director) have significant budgetary consequences.
- Commissioner Denehy:
- Expressed concern that discussing directorship changes for Superfund, Parks & Rec, and Civic Center may be outside the current scope of the study commission's primary ballot mandate.
- It was decided to form a working group (Ms. Shaw and Ms. Dolan) to review Charter Article 7 regarding administrative departments and consider consolidating discussions on Superfund, Animal Shelter, Parks & Rec, and Civic Center titles.
Key Outcomes
- Motion Carried: The commission will meet bi-weekly on December 8th (postponed to 15th/29th schedule), 15th, and 29th. Agenda items will be limited to working group reports.
- Working Groups: Commission members agreed that working groups will operate privately during the interim to draft charter changes, with a target to reconvene as a full body on January 5th for presentations.
- Coroner Working Group: A working group was established, comprising Commissioners Dolan, Steppen, and Thielen, to review testimony from Dan Hagerty and Jason Parrish and prepare recommendations on the coroner structure.
- Superfund/Dept. Structure: The commission agreed to investigate charter language changes regarding the Superfund department (and potentially other departments like Parks & Rec and Animal Shelter). Ms. Shaw and Ms. Dolan volunteered to lead a preliminary review of Chapter 7, with Ms. Shaw also leading a departmental working group on this topic.
- Schedule: Next full commission meeting rescheduled to December 15, 2025, followed by December 29, 2025, with working group drafts to be presented on January 5, 2026.
- Ballot Questions: The commission confirmed an intent to consolidate charter changes into three primary ballot questions regarding form of government (Commissioners, Mayor/Executor, and Fire), with Superfund changes potentially being a separate charter amendment or question depending on County Attorney review.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, I'm gonna call us to order uh Mr. Seppin is on his way up. Um, but Lori Casey is excused for tonight. Cindy Perduan. There he is. Cindy Shaw. And Chad Silk is excused our ale tonight. If we can have our Pledge of Allegiance in prayer, please. All right, thanks everyone, and I hope everybody had a great holiday break and we're back at it. So starting right off with public comment on any item on the agenda. All right, every banner of twenty six oh one Grand Avenue, Butte, Montana, for and on behalf of the Greeley Neighborhood Community Development Corporation and a triad of concerned citizens. Reference public comment on any item on the agenda, item eight, unfinished business, neighborhood council's working group update. Dan Clark said that the Montana Supreme Court said encourage and assist. Maybe not quite as much as Larry was, but I am irritated that this body does not seem to be getting the message that the empty council chamber at your meetings, meeting after meeting, month after month should be telling you something. Only twenty-one percent of respondents to your survey, not my petition, local government study commission survey, feel that their commissioners effectively represents the needs and concerns of his or her constituents. That is seventy-nine percent of the people of Butte Silva Bowl who are at least partially and sidebar. I included the undecided, because if you're not decided, you are at least partially dissatisfied, or more are dissatisfied with the current Butte Silver Bowl unrepresentative system of government at the neighborhood and the district level that does not accurately reflect the will of the people or include an effective mechanism by which to determine andor call lease to bring together the will of the people. Not once in the nine years I attended council commissioner meetings regularly. Do I remember them ever calling for interactive, consensus drawing, decision making, fact-finding, listening session? The people indicated in your survey that they want a system that will require commissioners to actually listen and hear their constituents by holding regular neighborhood listening sessions with actual interactive consensual drawing decision making discussions. The people indicated in your survey that they want public body meetings where they, the people, can participate and be a part of the consensual drawing decision making discussions process, not only be allowed to make comments at the beginning of the meeting. I believe that this moves the creating of officially recognized neighborhood community improvement councils and a greater Butte Silverbow Community Council channel of communications with some checks and balances authority from being a one person coming up here every week and spouting off to a 79% of the people issue and moves it from an insignificant lesser important issue to the top of the list as the most important issue this body will address. Representative system solution based on the Butte community situation, not on the Montana situation. What is our problem? Have you defined it? And proposed solutions that we have brought before you. So what are you going to do to us? And for other neighborhoods to do the same. Thank you. Any other public comment on any item on the agenda. Sorry. Members of the commission, my name is Dan Strizek. I live at 3235 Warden Street here in town. I just you don't have bad hearing like I do. Anyway, I just came up tonight. I noticed on the agenda that the Superfund coordinator is now. I spoke before the commission here several weeks ago with a couple of recommendations that I thought were important. One was on the uh chief executive issue, the other was on superfund. So I'm glad to hear this is there. My my comment is on the record. I think Matt and Ben were the only ones that weren't here for that. I won't go back into reread that on, save some time, but it I I believe it's very important that that issue moves forward and it becomes before the people, and there's several proposals on how that can go, but we need to seriously look at how we how we go move forward with the superfund issue and how it's going to go. So I'm here for that. I'm glad to see it's on, and we'll go from there. You guys got a tough job hanging there. Thank you. Thank you. Other comment on items on the agenda. Okay, seeing none, I'll move on to public comment on anything not on the agenda, but within the jurisdiction of the study commission. All right, bad on 2601 Grand Avenue, Butte, Montana, for and on behalf of the Gelee Neighborhood Community Development Corporation Inc.
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