Title 7, Title 7

(1) Ordinances and resolutions must be introduced in the commission only in written or printed form. All ordinances or resolutions, except ordinances making appropriations, must be confined to one subject, which must be clearly expressed in the title, except as provided in 7-3-12…

(1) Ordinances making the annual tax levy, ordinances and resolutions providing for local improvements and assessments, and emergency measures shall take effect at the time indicated therein. All other ordinances and resolutions enacted by the commission shall be in effect from a…

An emergency measure is an ordinance or resolution to provide for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, in which the emergency claimed is set forth and defined in a preamble thereto. The affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the co…

No measure making or amending a grant, renewal, or extension of a franchise or other special privilege may be passed without first submitting the application therefor to the qualified electors in the manner provided by 7-5-4321 and 7-5-4322.

(1) Ordinances may be revised, codified, rearranged, and published in book form under appropriate titles, chapters, and sections, and such revision and codification may be made in one ordinance containing one or more subjects. The publication of such revision and codification in …

(1) Any proposed ordinance, except an ordinance making an appropriation, may be submitted to the commission by petition signed by 10% of the qualified electors of the municipality whose names appear on the register of voters on the date when the proposed ordinance is submitted to…

(1) If an initiative petition or amended petition is found sufficient by the clerk, the clerk shall certify it and shall submit the ordinance set forth in the petition to the commission at its next meeting, and the commission shall read and refer it to an appropriate committee, w…

(1) If the commission fails to pass an ordinance proposed by initiative petition or passes it in a form different from that set forth in the petition, the committee of the petitioners may require that it be submitted to a vote of the electors either in its original form or with a…

An alteration of an existing form of local government may be proposed by a petition of the electors.

(1) The electors shall have power to approve or reject at the polls any ordinance passed by the commission except an ordinance making a tax levy or an emergency measure, such power being known as the referendum. Ordinances submitted to the commission and passed by the commission …

(1) If a referendum petition or amended petition is found sufficient, the clerk shall certify that fact to the commission at its next regular meeting and the ordinance or part of the ordinance set forth in the petition may not go into effect, or further action under the ordinance…

In case a petition is filed requiring that an ordinance passed by the commission providing for the expenditure of money, a bond issue, or a public improvement be submitted to a vote of the electors, all steps preliminary to such actual expenditure, actual issuance of bonds, or ac…

(1) The commission shall appoint a manager. The manager must be chosen by the commission solely on the basis of executive and administrative qualifications and is not, when appointed, required to be a resident of the municipality. A member of the commission may not, during the ti…

(1) The manager is the chief executive officer of the municipality. (2) The manager is responsible to the commission for the proper administration of the affairs of the municipality placed in the manager's charge, and the manager shall appoint all officers and employees in the ad…

Appointments by or under the authority of the manager shall be confined to citizens of the municipality, except in such specific cases as the commission may suspend this requirement, and shall be on the basis of the ability, training, and experience of the appointees in the work …

(1) An officer or employee of the municipality appointed by the manager or upon the manager's authorization may be laid off, suspended, or removed from office or employment either by the manager or the appointing officer. Verbal or written notice of layoff, suspension, or removal…

(1) Neither the commission nor any of its committees or members may direct or request the appointment of or removal from office or employment of any person by the manager or any of the manager's subordinates or in any manner take part in the appointment or removal of officers and…

The manager shall act as chief conservator of the peace within the municipality, supervise the administration of the affairs of the municipality, see that the ordinances of the municipality and the laws of the state are enforced, make recommendations to the commission concerning …

The manager, the directors of all departments, and all other officers of the municipality shall be entitled to be present at all sessions of the commission. The manager shall have the right to take part in the discussion of all matters coming before the commission, and the direct…

(1) (a) In consolidated municipalities of the first, second, third, or fourth class, there shall be a department of finance, a police department, a department of public works, a department of health, a fire department, and such other departments and offices as may be established …

(1) The number of assistants and other subordinates to be employed in or by each administrative department or office must be fixed by the commission, but the commission may authorize the manager to determine the number of assistants and subordinates in and for a specified departm…

(1) A petition for the alteration of an existing form of local government may be presented to the governing body of the local government. The petition must meet the requirements of 7-3-142 through 7-3-145. (2) The petition must be signed by at least 15% of the electors of the loc…

The compensation of officers and employees in the administrative service of the municipality shall be fixed by ordinance, but all positions in such service, except those of heads of departments and heads of offices not included within regular departments, shall, for purposes of c…

The manager may appoint a board of citizens qualified to act in an advisory capacity to the head of any specified department or office. The members of all such boards shall serve without compensation, and it shall be their duty to consult with and advise the officer in charge of …

(1) The commission, the manager, or any person or committee authorized by either of them shall have power to inquire into the conduct of any department or office of the municipality and to make investigations as to municipal affairs and for that purpose may subpoena witnesses, ad…

A person elected or appointed to an office or position under the municipal government established by part 13 and this part is not entitled to and may not receive for the person's own use any fees, emoluments, commissions, or perquisites other than the salary or compensation fixed…

(1) A person holding an appointive office or position in the municipal government may not directly or indirectly solicit or receive or be in any manner concerned in soliciting or receiving any assessment, subscription, or contribution for any political party or purpose. A person …

A person elected to the commission may not, during the term for which elected, be appointed to any office or position in the service in the municipality. If a member of the commission becomes a candidate for any public office other than that of commissioner, the person shall imme…

Any appointive officer or employee of the municipality who shall become a candidate for nomination or election to any public office shall immediately forfeit the office or employment held under the municipality.

An officer or employee of the municipality may not have a financial interest, direct or indirect, in any contract with the municipality or be financially interested, directly or indirectly, in the sale to the municipality of any land, materials, supplies, or services except on be…

(1) The members of the commission, the manager, the director of finance, the purchasing agent, the director of law, the director of police, and such other officers and employees of the municipality as the commission requires to do so shall, immediately upon taking office, give bo…

Each officer of the municipality shall, before entering upon the duties of office, take and subscribe to the oath or affirmation required of officers by the constitution of the state of Montana, and the oath or affirmation must be filed and kept in the office of the clerk.

(1) For any election held on the question of the adoption of this part and part 13 and for the first election of members of the commission if adopted, the county election administrator and board of county commissioners shall exercise the powers and perform the duties respecting e…

(1) The director of finance has charge of the administration of the financial affairs of the municipality, including the keeping and supervision of all accounts; the custody and disbursement of municipal funds and money; the making of special assessments; the issuance of licenses…

The fiscal year of the municipality shall begin with July 1 and shall end with the succeeding June 30.

The director of finance shall prepare and submit to the commission each month a summary statement of revenues and expenses for the preceding month, detailed as to appropriations and funds in such manner as shows the exact financial condition of the municipality and of each depart…

There is in the department of finance a division of audit and accounts, of which the director of finance is the head. As head of the office, the director is charged with keeping the books of financial account for all departments and offices of the municipality, and whenever pract…

(1) Upon the death, resignation, removal, or expiration of the term of an officer of the municipality, the director of finance shall cause an audit and investigation of the accounts of the officer to be made and shall report to the manager and the commission. Either the commissio…

(1) There must be in the department of finance a division of the treasury, the head of which must be treasurer of the municipality. The treasurer has the powers and shall perform the duties prescribed for city treasurers and county treasurers by law and must be bonded for the fai…

There is in the department of finance a division of purchases and supplies. The head of the division is a purchasing agent. The purchasing agent shall make all purchases for the municipality in the manner and with the exceptions that may be provided by ordinance and shall, under …

(1) Before making any purchase or sale, the purchasing agent shall give opportunity for competition, under such rules as the commission may by ordinance establish. (2) Supplies required by any department or office of the municipality may be furnished upon requisition from the sto…

(1) There may be in the department of finance a division of assessment, the head of which may be the assessor. The division of assessment has the powers of and shall perform the duties prescribed for county assessors by general law. (2) The division of assessment is in charge of …

(1) An ordinance, conforming to 15-10-420, making the annual tax levy must be passed fixing the rate to be levied upon all property within the municipality to defray current expenses. (2) Subject to 15-10-420, taxes required to be levied on account of the debt of the municipality…

(1) Subject to 15-10-420, a municipality may levy special taxes for all purposes that counties, cities, and towns are authorized to levy by general laws of the state, and all of the provisions of those laws are applicable to and govern and control the municipality in the levying …

All taxes levied by the municipality shall be collected and payable in the manner, at the time, and under the penalties prescribed by law for the collection and payment of state and county taxes.

(1) A district comprised within the boundaries of any city, town, or district existing within the county at the time of the adoption of part 12 and this part by the electors of the consolidated government is, for the purpose of paying the interest and principal of any debt incurr…