Title 7, Title 7

(1) The board of county commissioners shall make provisions for the collection of the amounts due a corporation and for the closing up of its affairs, and any act or acts necessary for that purpose and not otherwise provided shall, upon order of the board, be performed by the off…

(1) If, at any time after the disincorporation of a city or town, there is insufficient money in the treasury to the credit of the special fund provided for in 7-2-4912 with which to pay any indebtedness of the corporation, the board of county commissioners shall, subject to 15-1…

If, after payment of the debts of the corporation and the liquidation, where possible, of tangible assets, any surplus shall remain in the hands of the county treasurer to the credit of the special fund, money remaining shall be transferred to the county general fund. Nothing in …

All costs and expenses of ascertaining information and all other costs and expenses incurred by the board of county commissioners in the execution of the powers and duties of managing the affairs of the disincorporated city or town provided for in this part shall be paid out of t…

For the purposes of this part, the following definitions apply: (1) "Hospital district" means a district created pursuant to Title 7, chapter 34, part 21. (2) "Inability to access public services" means the inability of a real property owner to reach public services in the county…

(1) (a) A qualified petitioner may petition for the alteration of hospital district or school district boundaries due to an inability to access public services as provided in this part. (b) A qualified petitioner may not petition to alter hospital district boundaries under the pr…

(1) Within 30 days after certification that a petition to change a hospital district boundary is sufficient as provided in 7-2-6102, the board of the hospital district shall provide public notice pursuant to 7-1-2121 in the affected hospital district and in the city, town, resort…

(1) After the public hearing held under 7-2-6103 for a hospital district petition, the board of county commissioners in the county in which the hospital district is located shall order and give notice of an election to be held at the next election most immediately following the p…

(1) After the canvas of votes cast in an election held in accordance with 7-2-6104, for a hospital district petition, if more than 50% of the votes cast approve the proposed hospital district boundary change, then the board of county commissioners shall, by resolution, declare th…

(1) Upon implementation of a hospital district or school district boundary change under this part, the county clerks and recorders in the affected county or counties shall notify the department of administration, the department of revenue, and the secretary of state of the bounda…

Hospital district boundaries impacted by a change of boundary under this part must be adjusted to ensure the affected property is relocated to the hospital district that is accessible to the affected property or to the new hospital district created by the petition.

All taxable property within a hospital district or school district withdrawn under this part remains subject to taxation for any bonded indebtedness of the existing hospital district or school district as of the date the petition to alter the hospital district or school district …

(1) The purpose of parts 1 through 7 is to comply with Article XI, section 3(1), of the Montana constitution, which provides: "The legislature shall provide such optional or alternative forms of government that each unit or combination of units may adopt, amend, or abandon an opt…

Each local government in the state shall adopt one of the alternative forms of government provided for in parts 1 through 7, including one of each suboption authorized: (1) the commission-executive form (which may also be called the council-executive, the council-mayor, or the co…

(1) An amendment to a self-government charter or an adopted alternative form of government may only be made by submitting the question of amendment to the electors of the local government as provided in 7-3-149. An amendment approved by the electors becomes effective on the first…

The electors of any unit of local government which has adopted a new alternative form of local government may not vote on the question of changing the form of local government until 3 years after the new alternative form of local government becomes effective, but the voters may v…

The approved plan filed with the secretary of state pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of section 14, Chapter 513, Laws of 1975, shall be the official plan and shall be a public record open to inspection of the public and judicially noticeable by all courts.

(1) All ordinances in effect at the time the new form of government becomes effective shall continue in effect until repealed or amended in the manner provided by law. (2) The adoption of a new form of government shall not affect the validity of any bond, debt, contract, obligati…

(1) A county and a city or town within the county may unite to form a single unit of local government under the provisions of this part. (2) An alternative form of government, including a charter form, for a consolidated unit of government may be submitted to the voters only by t…

(1) Study commissions proposing consolidation shall prepare, adopt, and submit to the voters a consolidation plan in addition to the alternative form of government. If the commission proposes a charter, the plan may be included in the charter. (2) The consolidation plan shall: (a…

(1) As a political subdivision of the state, such consolidated unit of local government shall have the status of a county and an incorporated municipality for all purposes and shall replace and be the successor of the county and any city or town. (2) On its effective date, the al…

A consolidated local government has and may exercise all powers that are conferred on counties, cities, or towns by the constitution and laws of the state. Subject to 15-10-420, the consolidated local government may levy all taxes that counties, cities, and towns are authorized t…

(1) Within 2 years after ratification of the consolidation, the governing body of the consolidated unit of local government shall revise, repeal, or reaffirm all rules, ordinances, and resolutions in force within the participating county, cities, and towns at the time of consolid…

(1) For the purpose of determining the statutory basis of existing units of local government after May 2, 1977, each unit of local government organized under the general statutes authorizing the elected county official form of government shall be governed by the following section…

(1) For the purpose of determining the statutory basis of existing units of local government after May 2, 1977, each unit of local government organized under the general statutes authorizing the county manager form of government shall be governed by the following sections: (a) 7-…

(1) For the purpose of determining the statutory basis of existing units of local government, each unit of local government organized under the general statutes authorizing the municipal council-mayor form of government, which does not adopt a new form, shall be governed after Ma…

(1) For the purpose of determining the statutory basis of existing units of local government after May 2, 1977, each unit of local government organized under the general statutes authorizing the municipal commission-manager form of government shall be governed by the following se…

The separate corporate existence and government of any county and of each and every city and town therein may be abandoned and terminated and such county and each and all of the cities and towns therein may be consolidated and merged into one municipal corporation and government …

As a political subdivision of the state, such consolidated municipality shall have the status of a county, and for the purpose of representation in the legislature, as provided by the constitution and laws of this state, and for all other purposes, it shall replace and be the suc…

(1) The inhabitants of every consolidated municipality organized under the provisions of this part and part 13, as its limits are at the time of such organization or as they may be thereafter established as provided by law, shall be a body politic and corporate under the designat…

(1) The question of the abandonment and termination of the separate corporate existence and government of a county and of each city and town within the county and the consolidation and merging of the existence and government of the county and each of the cities and towns within t…

(1) If the county election administrator finds that the petition or amended petition is signed by the required number of registered electors, the election administrator shall certify the finding to the board of county commissioners at their next regular meeting. (2) The board sha…

The ballot for an election pursuant to 7-3-1205 shall present the following question: Shall the corporate existence and government of the county of .... and of each and every city and town therein be consolidated and merged into one municipal corporation and government under the …

Such election shall be conducted, vote returned and canvassed, and result declared in the same manner as provided by law in respect to general elections.

(1) If the majority of the votes cast at the election are in favor of the consolidation and merging, the board of county commissioners of the county shall, within 2 weeks after the election returns have been canvassed, order an election to be held in accordance with Title 13, cha…

(1) At the first meeting of the commission whose members are first elected under the provisions of this part, the commission shall adopt a resolution reciting the filing of the petition provided for in 7-3-1204, the ordering and holding of an election as requested in the petition…

The purpose of 7-3-121 through 7-3-123, 7-3-125, and 7-3-141 through 7-3-161 is to provide procedures for alteration of existing forms of local government.

All contracts entered into by the county or by any city or town therein or on behalf of any improvement district by such county or by any such city or town prior to the election and qualification of a commission under this part and part 13 shall continue in full force and effect …

The commission first elected may, at its first meeting, make an order that all existing ordinances and resolutions of some one city or town within the consolidated municipality which are of general application in such city or town shall be continued in force and be extended throu…

The members of the board of county commissioners of the county and members of the council of every city and town therein holding office on the date when any election is held at which the question of the consolidation and merging of the county and city and town governments is appr…

The commission shall have power to make all necessary regulations not inconsistent with this part or part 13 for the transition from the several governments of and within the county to the government provided by this part and part 13, including the transfer to the treasury of the…

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this part or part 13, all powers of the consolidated municipality are vested in a commission. (2) (a) In consolidated municipalities having a taxable valuation of $50 million or more, the commission must consist of seven members. (b) In consoli…

(1) Members of the commission must be qualified electors of the consolidated municipality and may not hold any other public office except that of notary public or member of the state militia. (2) A member of the commission ceasing to possess any of the qualifications specified in…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2), the term of office of members of the commission must be 4 years and must commence on the first Monday in January following their election. (2) The terms of office of the members first elected must commence on the first day of the third mo…

(1) If a vacancy occurs in the commission, except as the result of a recall election, some eligible person shall be chosen by a majority vote of the remaining members to fill the place for the unexpired term. (2) Absence from all regular meetings for a period of 90 days shall ope…

(1) (a) Except as provided in subsection (1)(b), at 2 p.m. on the first Monday in January following a general municipal election, the commission shall meet at the courthouse in the consolidated municipality and the newly elected members shall assume the duties of office. (b) The …