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Record of Proceedings

Butte-Silver Bow Study Commission Meeting - October 5, 2026

Council of Commissioners & Committees — Monday, October 5, 2026
BodyButte Silver Bow, Montana
SessionCouncil of Commissioners & Committees
DateMonday, October 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 23:45

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

5:58

So do we need a meeting?

Speaker 2

6:00

I'm sure that would be your

Unassigned speaker

6:12

question.

Speaker 2

6:38

We'll make sure it gets too much.

Speaker 3

6:39

Yeah, if we if we send it at night and you get it Thursday, do we is it still good?

6:44

Okay, very good.

Speaker 2

6:46

So I think CMOs.

Speaker 3

8:07

Okay, let's uh call to order.

8:09

Um the state commission meeting of October fifth, two thousand twenty-six.

8:15

Can I have a route roll call?

8:17

Let's see.

8:18

Lori's here, Cindy Perdue Dolan's here, that's Stepens

Unassigned speaker

8:21

here.

Speaker 3

8:23

Cindy Shaw is here, Mr.

8:25

Silk is here, myself is here.

8:27

Uh those who are been um app or excused is Mary McCormick, Ben Thieland, and Ray Lynn.

8:36

Okay.

8:37

Uh can we have a pledge of allegiance and prayer, please?

Speaker 2

8:47

And to the Republic for which one nation is independent.

Speaker 4

8:56

Almighty God, we thank you for today, and hope our words and deeds are honoring you as always.

Speaker 3

9:08

Thank you, Cindy.

9:10

Um is public comment on any items on the agenda.

9:14

Seeing none.

9:16

Is there any public comment on any item not on the agenda, but within the jurisdiction of the study commission seeing none?

9:24

Uh approval of the minutes of a meeting held on September fourteenth, twenty twenty-six.

Speaker 5

9:34

I'll make a motion to approve the meeting minutes from September 14th.

Speaker 3

9:38

We have a motion to approve.

9:40

Seconded by Cindy.

9:41

All in favor say aye.

Speaker 5

9:43

All opposed.

9:44

Ayes have it.

9:45

Thank you.

9:46

Correspondence of the and or study commission update.

Speaker 3

9:50

Shannon, do we have any correspondence from the last few weeks?

9:54

None.

10:03

Has

Speaker 5

10:04

some people been out on the speaking tours.

Speaker 3

10:09

Laura, have you been?

10:12

Okay.

Unassigned speaker

10:13

Uh

Speaker 5

10:13

tomorrow, Cindy and oh, I'm sorry, Matt.

10:15

Have

Unassigned speaker

10:15

you?

Speaker 5

10:16

Uh myself and Mr.

10:18

Silk were on party line, I think it was a week ago Wednesday.

Speaker 3

10:24

Great, thank you.

10:25

Uh

Speaker 5

10:26

Cindy and

Speaker 3

10:27

I will be at the exchange club tomorrow at noon.

10:30

I know we had a uh scheduling issue with the library last Friday, so hopefully we can get someone there before the election.

10:39

Um I think none of us could make it because of our schedules.

10:44

Oh, go ahead, Cindy.

Speaker 4

10:45

Um thank you, Mr.

10:46

Chair.

10:46

Um so yes, uh I didn't I didn't approach them to reschedule wanting to wait for this meeting um for dates, but if you want to reschedule, that would be fine.

10:57

Um and I'm also curious, how did party line go?

10:59

We did you get any questions from people?

11:01

Did people call in?

11:02

I'm just curious how that went.

Speaker 5

11:04

Matt.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████49%
Public Engagement██████████████████████████████████37%
Voter Education█████████████14%
Summary of Proceedings

Butte-Silver Bow Study Commission Meeting - October 5, 2026

The Butte-Silver Bow Study Commission met on October 5, 2026, with Commissioners Lori, Cindy Perdue Dolan, Stepens, Cindy Shaw, Mr. Silk, and Chair Dan present. Mary McCormick, Ben Thieland, and Ray Lynn were excused. The meeting covered routine approvals, updates on public outreach, planning for a formal recommendations document for the Council of Commissioners, and pre-election advertising.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approved: The commission approved the minutes from the September 14, 2026 meeting, following a motion and second.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were offered on or off the agenda.

Discussion Items

  • Correspondence & Outreach: Staff member Shannon reported no correspondence. Commissioner Matt and Mr. Silk appeared on the KBOW Party Line program but received no public questions. Commissioners Cindy Shaw and the Chair are scheduled to speak at the Exchange Club the next day.
  • List of Recommendations: Commissioner Cindy Shaw asked about the timeline for finalizing the commission's recommendations for the Council of Commissioners. The Chair confirmed the plan is to wait until after the upcoming election, as the commission will remain seated for 60 to 90 days. Staff member Shana compiled a comprehensive list of issues and concerns raised over the previous 18 months that did not make the ballot. The group agreed to finalize the list post-election, narrow it to a prioritized set (such as a "top 10"), and request a spot on a Council agenda to present the findings in person for dialogue, rather than just sending an email. Commissioner Stepens noted that the final document should be officially signed and filed with the state, and praised the thorough work on the initial list.
  • Full-Page Advertisement: The commission discussed a proposal for a full-page informational ad in the Montana Standard newspaper. The ad will summarize ballot items and direct voters to the commission's website, final report, and voter education guide. The remaining budget was confirmed as sufficient by staff. A motion was made and passed to approve the ad for publication right before the general election.
  • Radio Ads: Commissioner Cindy Shaw proposed purchasing ads on KBOW radio to reciprocate their extensive pro-bono support. The Chair explained that KBOW's Ron has insisted on providing the airtime for free as a public service and declined payment. The commission agreed to respect his wishes and discuss showing appreciation later.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes Approved: The minutes from September 14, 2026 were approved.
  • Advertisement Approved: A full-page ad in the Montana Standard was approved for publication right before the general election.
  • Next Meeting Scheduled: The commission will meet again on October 26, 2026, to provide a public forum for questions and continued voter education before the election.

Meeting Transcript

So do we need a meeting? I'm sure that would be your question. We'll make sure it gets too much. Yeah, if we if we send it at night and you get it Thursday, do we is it still good? Okay, very good. So I think CMOs. Okay, let's uh call to order. Um the state commission meeting of October fifth, two thousand twenty-six. Can I have a route roll call? Let's see. Lori's here, Cindy Perdue Dolan's here, that's Stepens here. Cindy Shaw is here, Mr. Silk is here, myself is here. Uh those who are been um app or excused is Mary McCormick, Ben Thieland, and Ray Lynn. Okay. Uh can we have a pledge of allegiance and prayer, please? And to the Republic for which one nation is independent. Almighty God, we thank you for today, and hope our words and deeds are honoring you as always. Thank you, Cindy. Um is public comment on any items on the agenda. Seeing none. Is there any public comment on any item not on the agenda, but within the jurisdiction of the study commission seeing none? Uh approval of the minutes of a meeting held on September fourteenth, twenty twenty-six. I'll make a motion to approve the meeting minutes from September 14th. We have a motion to approve. Seconded by Cindy. All in favor say aye. All opposed. Ayes have it. Thank you. Correspondence of the and or study commission update. Shannon, do we have any correspondence from the last few weeks? None. Has some people been out on the speaking tours. Laura, have you been? Okay. Uh tomorrow, Cindy and oh, I'm sorry, Matt. Have you? Uh myself and Mr. Silk were on party line, I think it was a week ago Wednesday. Great, thank you. Uh Cindy and I will be at the exchange club tomorrow at noon. I know we had a uh scheduling issue with the library last Friday, so hopefully we can get someone there before the election.

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