Title 7, Title 7

At an election under 7-3-4305, the ballots to be used must be headed "Election for the purpose of submitting to the qualified electors of the (city, town) of (name of city or town) under chapter 152 of the acts of the fifteenth legislative assembly" and must be substantially in t…

(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 failed, the proposition may not again be submitted to t…

In county and consolidated local governments, 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 7-3-432 through 7-3-442. The officers shall have the p…

(1) If the majority of the votes cast at the election are in favor of reorganization, the city or town council shall hold a meeting within 1 week after the election and order an election to be held in accordance with Title 13, chapter 1, part 4, for the purpose of electing the nu…

(1) Whenever the inhabitants of any community or group of communities in any county, whether separately incorporated in whole or in part or unincorporated, desire to be organized into or annexed to an incorporated city or town under the provisions of this part and part 44, the bo…

(1) Whenever any group of communities becomes a single municipal district under the provisions of this part, the commissioners elected at the first election have the same functions and authority and municipal procedure must be the same as is provided in this part when single comm…

(1) The inhabitants of any municipality coming under the provisions of this part and part 44, as its limits now are or may hereafter be, shall be a body politic and corporate and have a corporate name and as such shall have perpetual succession and may use a corporate seal. Throu…

(1) The commission shall consist of three commissioners for all municipalities having a population of less than 15,000 and five commissioners for all cities having a population of 15,000 or more. (2) The commission shall constitute the governing body, with powers as hereinafter p…

Members of the commission shall be residents of the city or town and have the qualifications of electors.

(1) The commissioners elected at the first election shall qualify and their terms of office must begin on the first Monday after their election. The terms of office of the mayor and city council members in a municipal commission-manager city or town who are in office at the begin…

Vacancies in the commission shall be filled by the commission for the period until the next general election and until a successor is elected and qualified, but any vacancy resulting from a recall shall be filled in the manner provided in such case.

(1) The mayor is the member of the commission who, at the general municipal election at which the commissioners were elected, received the highest number of votes. In case two candidates receive the same number of votes, one of them must be chosen mayor by the remaining members o…

A legal officer, who may be called the county attorney: (1) may be elected; (2) may be appointed by the local government commission; (3) may be appointed by the presiding officer of the local government commission; (4) may be selected as provided by ordinance; (5) may at the disc…

The mayor is the presiding officer, except that in the mayor's absence, a president pro tempore may be chosen. The mayor shall exercise the powers conferred and perform all duties imposed upon the mayor by part 44 and this part, the ordinances of the municipality, and the laws of…

The salary of each commissioner may be as follows: the salary of each commissioner shall be as established by ordinance in all classes of cities, and the salary of the commissioner acting as mayor may be 1 1/2 times that of the other commissioners.

(1) At 10 a.m. on the first Monday after January 1 following a general municipal election, the commission shall meet at the usual place for holding the meetings of the legislative body of the municipality, at which time the newly elected commissioners shall assume the duties of t…

(1) In municipalities having three commissioners, two commissioners shall constitute a quorum and the affirmative vote of two commissioners shall be necessary to adopt or reject any motion, resolution, or ordinance or pass any measure unless a greater number is provided for in th…

(1) Each proposed ordinance or resolution must be introduced in written or printed form and may not contain more than one subject, which must be clearly stated in the title; however, general appropriation ordinances may contain the various subjects and accounts for which money is…

(1) All ordinances are effective 30 days after the date of their passage by the commission except as otherwise provided in this part or part 44. (2) All resolutions are immediately effective unless a delayed effective date is specified in the resolution. (3) The commission may, b…

(1) An emergency measure is an ordinance or resolution for the immediate preservation of the public peace, property, health, or safety or providing for the usual daily operation of a municipal department, in which the emergency is set forth and defined in a preamble thereto. Ordi…

(1) Any proposed ordinance may be submitted to the commission by petition signed by at least 15% of the total number of electors registered at the last general municipal election. All petition papers circulated with respect to any proposed ordinance must be uniform in character a…

A law enforcement officer, who may be called the sheriff: (1) may be elected; (2) may be appointed by the local government commission; (3) may be appointed by the presiding officer of the local government commission; (4) may be selected as provided by ordinance; (5) may at the di…

A clerk and recorder: (1) may be elected; (2) may be appointed by the local government commission; (3) may be appointed by the presiding officer of the local government commission; (4) may be selected as provided by ordinance; (5) may at the discretion of the commission be select…

A clerk of district court: (1) may be elected; (2) may be appointed by the local government commission; (3) may be appointed by the presiding officer of the local government commission; (4) may be selected as provided by ordinance; (5) may at the discretion of the commission be s…

A treasurer: (1) may be elected; (2) may be appointed by the local government commission; (3) may be appointed by the presiding officer of the local government commission; (4) may be selected as provided by ordinance; (5) may at the discretion of the commission be selected as pro…

The commission shall appoint a city manager. The manager must be appointed without regard to political beliefs and may or may not be a resident of the municipality when appointed. The manager holds office at the will of the commission.

The city manager shall be the administrative head of the municipal government and shall be responsible for the efficient administration of all departments.

(1) The powers and duties of the city manager are: (a) to see that the laws and ordinances are enforced; (b) to appoint and, except as provided in this part, remove all directors of departments and all subordinate officers and employees in the departments in both the classified a…

The city manager shall receive such salary as may be fixed by ordinance of the commission, but such salary shall not be decreased during the term of office that the city manager is appointed for.

(1) The commission or any committee of the commission authorized by the commission to do so may investigate the financial transactions of any office or department of the municipal government and the official acts of any municipal official and by similar investigations may secure …

The city manager may, without notice, cause the affairs of any department or the conduct of any officer or employee to be examined. Any person appointed by the city manager to examine the affairs of any department or the conduct of any officer or employee has the same power to co…

(1) Commissioners and other officers and employees may not be interested in the profits or emoluments of any contract, job, work, or service for the municipality and may not hold any partisan political office or employment. Any commissioner who ceases to possess any of the qualif…

In all cities operating under the commission-manager form in Montana, the mayor is hereby designated as the proper officer to execute conveyances of real property; however, a majority of the commission may designate the city manager to execute a conveyance. In either case, the au…

Property within the corporate limits of the municipality may be appropriated for any public or municipal purpose, and to the full extent of the authority granted by the constitution of the state, such appropriation shall be made as herein provided. By such appropriation, the muni…

A surveyor: (1) may be elected; (2) may be appointed by the local government commission; (3) may be appointed by the presiding officer of the local government commission; (4) may be selected as provided by ordinance; (5) may at the discretion of the commission be selected as prov…

Whenever any city organized under this part and part 44 includes the county seat of the county in which it is situated, any unused space in the county buildings in such city may be rented to the city commissioners for municipal use by the board of county commissioners for such re…

All public advertising or publication mentioned as being necessary under the provisions of this part or part 44 shall be in a daily newspaper of general circulation within the municipality if there be such; otherwise, in a weekly newspaper published therein, and shall be done by …

A superintendent of schools: (1) may be elected; (2) may be appointed by the local government commission; (3) may be appointed by the presiding officer of the local government commission; (4) may be selected as provided by ordinance; (5) may at the discretion of the commission be…

An assessor: (1) may be elected; (2) may be appointed by the local government commission; (3) may be appointed by the presiding officer of the local government commission; (4) may be selected as provided by ordinance; (5) may at the discretion of the commission be selected as pro…

A coroner: (1) may be elected; (2) may be appointed by the local government commission; (3) may be appointed by the presiding officer of the local government commission; (4) may be selected as provided by ordinance; (5) may at the discretion of the commission be selected as provi…

(1) The following administrative departments are hereby established: (a) department of law; (b) department of public service; (c) department of public welfare; (d) department of public safety; (e) department of finance. (2) The commission may by ordinance discontinue any or sever…

The city manager shall appoint a director for each department, as specified in this part or as specified by ordinance of the commission, who shall serve until removed by the city manager or until the director's successor is appointed and has qualified.

Each director shall conduct the affairs of the director's department in accordance with the rules made by the city manager and is responsible for the conduct of the officers and employees of that department, for the performance of its business, and for the custody and preservatio…

The commission may appoint a municipal plan board and, upon the request of the city manager, shall appoint advisory boards. The members of such boards shall serve without compensation, and their duty shall be to consult and advise with the various departments. The duties and powe…

(1) The commission may appoint three electors of the municipality as a civil service board, with one to serve for 2 years, one for 4 years, and one for 6 years, and to take office on January 1 after the municipality comes under the provisions of part 43 and this part or as soon a…

Immediately after appointment, the board shall organize by electing one of its members presiding officer. The board shall appoint a chief examiner, who shall also act as secretary. The board may appoint other subordinates as may be provided for by appropriation.