Title 7, Title 7

The executive: (1) shall appoint one or more administrative assistants to assist in the supervision and operation of the local government, and the administrative assistants are answerable solely to the executive; or (2) may appoint one or more administrative assistants to assist …

The executive may: (1) appoint and remove all employees of the local government; (2) appoint and remove, with the consent of a majority of the commission, all employees of the local government; (3) appoint, with the consent of a majority of the commission, all department heads an…

The executive may: (1) veto ordinances and resolutions, subject to override by a majority plus one of the whole number of the commission; (2) veto ordinances and resolutions, subject to override by a two-thirds vote of the commission; or (3) sign all ordinances and resolutions wi…

The executive may: (1) prepare the budget and present it to the commission for adoption; or (2) prepare the budget in consultation with the commission and department heads.

The executive may: (1) exercise control and supervision of the administration of all departments and boards; or (2) exercise control and supervision of all departments and boards to the degree authorized by ordinance of the commission.

A financial officer (who may be called the treasurer): (1) shall be elected; (2) shall be appointed by the executive with the consent of the council; (3) shall be selected as provided by ordinance; or (4) may, at the discretion of the commission, be selected as provided by ordina…

The commission shall be: (1) elected at large; (2) elected by districts in which candidates must reside and which are apportioned by population; (3) elected at large and nominated by a plan of nomination that may not preclude the possibility of the majority of the electors nomina…

Local government elections shall be conducted on a: (1) partisan basis; or (2) nonpartisan basis.

The commission must have a presiding officer who must be: (1) elected by the members of the commission from their own number for a term established by ordinance; or (2) selected as provided by ordinance.

The presiding officer of the commission: (1) may vote as other members of the commission; (2) is the executive, who may vote as the commissioners; (3) is the executive, who shall decide all tie votes of the commission but may not have another vote (the presiding officer of the co…

Commission members shall be elected for: (1) concurrent terms of office; or (2) overlapping terms of office.

The size of the commission, which shall be a number not less than three, shall be established when the form is adopted by the voters, and: (1) community councils of at least three members shall be elected within each district to advise the commissioner from that district. Local g…

The term of office of elected officials may not exceed 4 years and shall be established when the form is adopted by the voters.

The commission-manager form, which may be called the council-manager form, consists of an elected commission, which may be called the council, and a manager appointed by the commission, who is the chief administrative officer of the local government. The manager is responsible to…

The plan of government submitted to the qualified electors shall determine the powers of the local government unit by authorizing: (1) general government powers; or (2) self-government powers.

The manager shall be appointed by the commission for an indefinite term on the basis of merit only and removed only by a majority vote of the whole number of the commission.

The manager shall: (1) enforce laws, ordinances, and resolutions; (2) perform the duties required by law, ordinance, or resolution; (3) administer the affairs of the local government; (4) direct, supervise, and administer all departments, agencies, and offices of the local govern…

(1) Employees appointed by the manager and the manager's subordinates must be administratively responsible to the manager. (2) Neither the commission nor any of its members may dictate the appointment or removal of any employee whom the manager or any of the manager's subordinate…

The plan of government submitted to the qualified electors shall further define the structural characteristics of the form by including one item from each of the choices listed in 7-3-312 through 7-3-318.

All members of boards, other than temporary advisory committees established by the manager, must be appointed by: (1) the presiding officer with the consent of the commission; (2) the manager with the consent of the commission; or (3) the commission.

The commission shall be: (1) elected at large; (2) elected by districts in which candidates must reside and which are apportioned by population; (3) elected at large and nominated by a plan of nomination that may not preclude the possibility of the majority of the electors nomina…

Local government elections shall be conducted on a: (1) partisan basis; or (2) nonpartisan basis.

The presiding officer of the commission must be: (1) elected by the members of the commission from their own number for a term established by ordinance; (2) elected by the qualified electors for a term of office; or (3) selected as provided by ordinance.

Commission members shall be elected for: (1) concurrent terms of office; or (2) overlapping terms of office.

The size of the commission, which shall be a number not less than three, shall be established when the form is adopted by the voters, and: (1) community councils of at least three members shall be elected within each district to advise the commissioner from that district. Local g…

The term of office of elected officials may not exceed 4 years and shall be established when the form is adopted by the voters.

The commission form consists of an elected commission (which may also be called the council) and other elected officers as provided in this part. All legislative, executive, and administrative powers and duties of the local government not specifically reserved by law or ordinance…

Local governments that adopt this form shall have general government powers.

The presiding officer of the commission may be referred to as the mayor. All members of boards and committees must be appointed by the presiding officer with the consent of the commission. The presiding officer must be recognized as the head of the local government unit and may v…

(1) The qualified electors of any city or town in this state may, in the manner provided in chapter 5, part 42, adopt an ordinance vesting any or all of the following powers with the office of mayor of the city or town: (a) to appoint and remove, without consent of the council, a…

(1) The administrative assistants are answerable solely to the mayor. (2) The budget and finance director is answerable solely to the mayor and serves at the mayor's pleasure.

The plan of government submitted to the qualified electors shall further define the structural characteristics of the form by including one item from each of the choices listed in 7-3-412 through 7-3-418.

The commission must be elected by one of the following methods: (1) elected at large; (2) elected by the qualified electors residing in the districts in which candidates reside and which are apportioned by population; or (3) elected by the qualified electors voting at large for c…

Local government elections shall be conducted on a: (1) partisan basis; or (2) nonpartisan basis.

The presiding officer of the commission must be: (1) elected by the members of the commission from their own number for a term established by ordinance; (2) selected as provided by ordinance; or (3) elected directly by the voters for a term established by ordinance.

The commission: (1) shall appoint one or more administrative assistants to assist them in the supervision and operation of the local government; or (2) may appoint one or more administrative assistants to assist them in the supervision and operation of the local government.

Commission members shall be elected for: (1) concurrent terms of office; or (2) overlapping terms of office.

The size of the commission, which shall be a number not less than three, shall be established when the form is adopted by the voters, and: (1) community councils of at least three members shall be elected within each district to advise the commissioner from that district. Local g…

The term of office of elected officials may not exceed 4 years, except the term of office for commissioners in counties adopting the form authorized by Article XI, section 3(2), of the Montana constitution may not exceed 6 years. Terms of office shall be established when the form…

In the construction of this part, the following rules must be observed unless that construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent or repugnant to the context of the statute: (1) The words "council member" or "city council member" must be construed to mean "council me…

Any city may abandon its organization and reorganize under the provisions of this part by proceeding as hereinafter provided.

All acts and parts of acts and all laws, not inconsistent with any of the provisions of this part, now in force or hereafter enacted relative to municipal corporations are hereby continued in full force and effect and shall be considered and construed as not repealed by this part…

All laws governing cities of the first, second, and third classes and not inconsistent with the provisions of this part shall apply to and govern cities organized under this part. All bylaws, ordinances, and resolutions lawfully passed and in force in any such city under its form…

Each city must be governed by a mayor and council members, as provided in 7-3-4215, each of whom has the right to vote on all questions coming before the council.

The territorial limits of such city shall remain the same as under the former organization, and all rights and property of every description which were vested in any such city under its former organization shall vest in the same under the organization herein contemplated, and no …

Petitions provided for in this part must be signed by only legal voters of the city. Each petition must contain, in addition to the names of the petitioners, the street and house number in which the petitioner resides and the petitioner's length of residence in the city. The peti…