Title 7, Title 7

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to municipal corporations are hereby continued in full force and effect and shall be considered and construed as not repealed by this part…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…

(1) When a petition on the question of reorganization under this part is filed with the city council and is signed by at least 25% of the qualified electors of the city registered for the last preceding general city election, the city council shall order an election to be held in…

At an election under 7-3-4208, the ballots must be headed "Election for the purpose of submitting to the qualified electors of the city of .... the question of reorganization of the city of .... under Chapter 57, Laws of 1911" and must be substantially in the following form: ☐ FO…

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

(1) If the proposition is adopted, the mayor shall transmit to the governor, to the secretary of state, and to the county clerk and recorder each a certificate stating that the proposition was adopted. (2) If the proposition was not approved at the election, the proposition may n…

(1) If a majority of the votes cast at the election is in favor of reorganization, the city council shall, at its first regular meeting held after the election, order a special election to be held for the purpose of electing a mayor and the number of council members to which the …

(1) The terms of office of the mayor and council members begin on the first Monday after their election is certified or, if there is a recount, after the recount results are certified. The terms of office of the mayor and council members or city council members who are in office …

(1) In every city of the third class, there must be a mayor and two council members. In every city of the second class, there must be a mayor and two council members. In every city of the first class having a population of less than 25,000, there must be a mayor and two council m…

The terms of office of the mayor and all council members elected after the first term is 2 years.

Every person who has been declared elected mayor or council member shall, within 10 days after the declaration, take and file with the city clerk an oath of office in the form and manner provided by law and shall execute and give sufficient bond to the municipal corporation in th…

(1) Vacancies in the office of mayor or council member must be filled by appointment made by a majority vote of the remaining members of the council. If in filling a vacancy a tie vote should occur, then the person to fill the vacancy must be determined by lot in a manner that th…

The council shall have its office at the city hall.

(1) Regular meetings of the council must be held on the first Monday after the election of council members and after that meeting at least once each month. The council shall provide by ordinance for the time for holding regular meetings, and special meetings may be called from ti…

(1) (a) In cities having a mayor and two council members, the mayor and one council member or two council members constitute a quorum and the affirmative vote of the mayor and one council member or the affirmative vote of two council members is necessary to adopt or reject any mo…

(1) Each ordinance or resolution appropriating money, ordering any street or sewer improvement, making or authorizing the making of any contract, or granting any franchise or right to occupy or use the streets, highways, bridges, or public places in the city for any purpose must …

A franchise or right to occupy or use the streets, highways, bridges, or public places in a city may not be granted, renewed, or extended except by ordinance. A franchise or grant for interurban or street railways, gasworks or waterworks, electric light or power plants, heating p…

(1) Any city which has operated for more than 1 year under the provisions of this part may abandon such organization and accept the provisions of the general law of the state applicable to cities of its population. (2) Upon the petition of not less than 10% of the electors of the…

(1) All electors of cities under this part who, by ordinances governing cities incorporated under the general municipal incorporation law or by charter, would be entitled to vote for the election of officers at any general municipal election in such cities shall be qualified to v…

The mayor shall: (1) preside at all meetings of the council; (2) have the same power to vote as other members of the council; and (3) have no power to veto any measure.

The council has and shall exercise all executive, legislative, and judicial powers and duties possessed and exercised by the mayor, city council, board of public works, park commissioners, board of police and fire commissioners, board of waterworks trustees, board of library trus…

(1) The executive and administrative powers, authority, and duties in municipal commission government cities must be distributed into and among departments as follows: (a) in cities having a mayor and two council members, into three departments: (i) a department of accounts, fina…

(1) In cities having a mayor and two council members, the mayor is the superintendent of the department of accounts, finance, and public property, and in cities having a mayor and four city council members, the mayor is the superintendent of the department of public affairs. The …

(1) The total compensation of council members is as follows: (a) In cities of the third class having a population of less than 3,000, the annual salary of the mayor may not exceed $600 and the annual salary of each council member may not exceed $500. In cities of the third class …

(1) An officer or employee elected or appointed in any municipal commission government city may not have an interest, directly or indirectly, in any contract or job for work or materials or the profits of the contract or job or materials, supplies, or services to be furnished to …

(1) Immediately after organizing, the council shall by ordinance appoint three civil service commissioners, who shall hold office, one until the first Monday in April of the second year, one until the first Monday in April of the fourth year, and one until the first Monday in Apr…

Said commission shall, on the first Monday of April and October of each year or more often if it shall be deemed necessary, under such rules as may be prescribed by the council, hold examinations for the purpose of determining the qualifications of applicants for positions, which…

All persons subject to the civil service examination are subject to removal from office or employment by the council for misconduct or failure to perform their duties under rules that the council may adopt, and the chief of police, chief of the fire department, or any superintend…

The council shall have the power to enforce the attendance of witnesses and the production of books and papers and the power to administer oaths in the same manner and with like effect and under the same penalties as in the case of magistrates exercising criminal or civil jurisdi…

Said commissioners shall make an annual report to the council, and it may require a special report from said commissioners at any time. Said council may prescribe such rules for the proper conduct of the business of the commission as shall be found expedient and advisable, includ…

All officers and employees in any said city shall be elected or appointed with reference to their qualifications and fitness and for the good of the public service and without reference to their political faith or party affiliations.

The provisions of 7-3-4257 through 7-3-4262, 7-3-4264, and 7-3-4265 shall apply to all appointive officers and employees of such city except those especially named in 7-3-4254, commissioners of any kind, laborers whose occupation requires no special skill or fitness, election off…

(1) The council of such city shall have power to pass ordinances imposing suitable penalties for the punishment of persons violating any of the provisions of this part relating to the civil service commission. (2) It shall be unlawful for any candidate for office in any such city…

The council shall monthly print in pamphlet form a detailed itemized statement of all of the receipts and expenses of the city and a summary of its proceedings during the preceding month and furnish printed copies of the statement to the state library, the city library, the daily…

If, at the beginning of the term of office of the first council elected in such city under the provisions of this part, the appropriations for the expenditures of the city government for the current fiscal year have been made, said council shall have power, by ordinance, to revis…

(1) Any municipality may abandon its organization and reorganize under the provisions of this part and part 44 by proceeding as hereinafter provided. (2) The form of government provided for in this part and part 44 shall be known as the commission-manager plan and shall consist o…