Butte Silver Bow Council of Commissioners Committee of the Whole Meeting - April 22, 2026

The Butte Silver Bow Council of Commissioners held a Committee of the Whole meeting on April 22, 2026. The meeting included public hearings on budget amendments, presentations on passenger rail, a study commission on government structure, health insurance renewal, and a community safety task force. Several routine communications were approved.

Public Hearings

• Communication 2026-171: Budget amendment for the parking garage to increase expenditures by $21,000 due to unanticipated revenue from permits and violations. The increase relates to the revenue sharing contract with Municipal Parking Services. No public comment was offered. The communication was placed on file (11-0 vote).
• Communication 2026-172: Budget amendment for the parking commission to increase expenditures by $25,000 due to unanticipated revenue from permits and violations. One proponent spoke: Ready (address: 2000 Roberts Avenue). No opponents. The communication was placed on file (11-0 vote).

Presentations

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA)

• Dave Strohmeyer (Missoula County Commissioner, BSPRA Chair) and Dan Bucks (Senior Policy Advisor) presented on the progress of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority.
• Key points:
  • Butte Silver Bow is a founding member of the authority, established in 2020 by 12 counties to restore passenger rail service across southern Montana.
  • The North Coast Hiawatha route (Chicago to Pacific Northwest) is recommended for restoration, with an alternative through Butte via Homestake Pass.
  • The authority is in a Corridor ID program with the Federal Railroad Administration, the only new long-distance route accepted. A service development plan (estimated $11 million) will be developed over two years.
  • Goals include twice-daily service in each direction, 21st-century trains, on-time performance, and connections to rural communities.
  • Other work: high-performance rail (e.g., $15 million grant for Montana rail improvements), workforce development ($6 million grant with MSU).
• Commissioners asked about funding and political challenges. BSPRA emphasized bipartisan support and no current federal clawbacks. The presentation was informational.

Study Commission Update on Government Structure

• RayLynn Brandle, Chair of the Study Commission, presented preliminary findings from the commission elected in November 2025.
• Key recommendations (still preliminary, subject to public input):
  • Retain charter form of government.
  • Replace the elected chief executive with a city-county manager hired by the council, and create an elected mayor at large to preside.
  • Reduce the council from 12 to 4 full-time district commissioners (plus the mayor), with redistricting to improve rural representation.
  • Formalize neighborhood councils with council-established policies.
  • Add Reclamation & Environmental Services and Parks & Recreation as standalone departments in the charter.
  • Two options for fire services: (1) make volunteer fire departments fully independent, or (2) unify all fire services under city-county authority with clear leadership.
• Public survey results: 63% said 12 commissioners are too many; 52% think the current elected chief executive model is not effective; strong support (44% strongly, 24% somewhat) for a professional city-county manager.
• Next steps: Final public hearing on May 4, 2026; final report due July 2026; ballot initiatives possibly in November 2026.
• Commissioners raised concerns about costs, tax impacts, implementation timeline (estimated up to 2030), and complexity. The commission acknowledged these are still under deliberation.

Health Insurance Renewal (Self-Funded Plan)

• Beth Worm (HR Director) and Emily Joan Art (HR Generalist) presented the renewal for the self-funded health plan for July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027.
• Key changes:
  • Plan One (traditional): deductible increases from $1,000/$2,000 to $1,500/$3,000 (individual/family) with 15% premium increase.
  • Plan Two (high deductible): deductible increases from $3,300/$6,600 to $3,400/$6,800 (per IRS) with 10% premium increase.
  • Plan Three (high deductible): no structural changes, 5% premium increase.
  • Stop-loss insurance will increase by 14.2% (but less than market 15-20%).
  • New 340B program for specialty drugs saving about $7,000/month.
• Other benefits unchanged: dental, vision, EAP (Intermountain Health), telemedicine (MD Live), health concierge (Rightway), life insurance, etc.
• Open enrollment meetings May 5-7, 2026.

The presentation was informational; the communication was placed on file (11-0 vote).

Butte Community Safety Task Force

• Jesse Gonzalez (Butte Strong) proposed creating a Butte Community Safety Task Force to coordinate responses to federal enforcement actions (e.g., ICE), provide know-your-rights education, and build trust.
• Requested: official recognition and endorsement from the city, a liaison from the executive director, seating of representatives, and quarterly reports.
• Commissioners expressed concerns about taking an official political position that could affect state funding. Chief Executive Gallagher noted they already have relationships with local law enforcement and preferred the task force form independently without official city designation.
• Several commissioners encouraged the group to continue meeting and invite commissioners individually, but declined official endorsement.
• The communication was placed on file (11-0 vote) without formal action on the request.

Key Outcomes

• Communications placed on file (all 11-0 votes): 2026-159 (BSPRA presentation), 2026-163 (economic development mill levy proposals call), 2026-164 (mill levy grant reports schedule), 2026-165 (Belmont Water Tower Park bid opening), 2026-171 (parking garage budget amendment), 2026-172 (parking commission budget amendment), 2026-178 (Study Commission presentation), 2026-179 (Community Safety Task Force presentation), 2026-180 (health insurance renewal presentation), 2026-181 (District 9 cleanup event).
• Held in abeyance: Communications 2026-102 (land purchase request, pending land sales committee report) and 2026-177 (fire district boundary expansion, pending May 6 public hearing).
• No formal vote on the study commission recommendations or task force request; both are still in development.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Alison Anderson (District 9) expressed concern about fire service issues and asked for follow-up on House Bill 547 and leadership talks. She supported the task force approach.
• Commissioner Fisher noted that April 22 is Earth Day and the anniversary of when Atlantic Richfield shut off pumps, leading to Berkeley Pit flooding.
• County Attorney Ann Ruth announced guilty verdicts in a child pornography case prosecuted by Ann Shea and Caitlin Lamb.

Other Business

• The meeting adjourned following the announcements.