Madison County Local Government Review Commission submits ballot language to allow voters to choose a charter form of government in the Nov. 3 election

After almost two years of conducting listening sessions across the county, The Madison County Local Government Review Commission has submitted ballot language that will allow voters in the Nov. 3 general election to vote on the option of changing from a commission type of government to a charter type of government. 

“Changing to a charter type of government will not necessarily change the structure of the government in Madison County, but will allow the county to choose to have self governing powers which will give the commissioners more flexibility in problem solving than the current commission government with general powers does,” said Brian Conklin of Ennis who served on the commission along with Dustin Tetrault and Rhonda Boyd. Commissioner Bill Todd served as the ex-officio representative from the board of commissioners.  

Under the current commissioner type of government, the county may not have self governing powers which means that the role of the commissioners and the county is determined by what Montana Code says they can do. Under the charter government with self governing powers the commissioners would be allowed to do anything not specifically prohibited by Montana Code. 

“Let’s say there is a state highway through the county and it has a blind turn that has resulted in a number of accidents,” begins Conklin in explanation. “Under the current form of government with general powers, the commissioners do not have the power granted to them by the state to change the speed limit to reduce the danger. With self governing powers, the commissioners would be able to change the speed limit because Montana Code does not restrict them from doing so.” 

Public support to consider a charter form of government with self governing powers came out of concerns aired to the board during research and public comment that began in 2025.  Increasingly, the State government continues to consolidate power and limit the ability of county governments. 

 “The ballot options are a reflection of the feedback given during the public comment.” 

In addition to allowing the change to a charter form of government with self-governing powers, the board has proposed two sub questions to the ballot that will address changing from a three commissioner to a five commissioner structure and changing from a four year term for commissioners to a six year term. 

“Until about three weeks ago, we planned on placing three separate questions to the voters on the ballot, but we’ve learned that Montana Code requires that if the form of government change is placed on the ballot, then anything else must be a sub question of that,” Conklin said. 

If the voters in Madison County decide not to change to a charter form of government, then the other sub questions about commission size and commissioner terms will fail automatically as well. If the form of government change fails and there is support for changes to the number of commissioners and or their terms, the commissioners would have the ability to put those questions on next year’s ballot according to Conklin. 

The change to a charter form of government with self governing powers does not require a change to the current structure and management of the county government, it would give the commissioners the ability to hire an executive to manage the day to day operations of the county. According to Conklin, this would help to address community concerns heard during the public comment. 

Conklin addressed potential costs associated with the changes being proposed on the ballot as well. 

“Making these changes doesn’t necessarily mean more cost to the tax-payers. Even if we go to five commissioners they could potentially be made into part time positions who meet to oversee the work of an executive,” he explained.  

“There was a study done that showed that hiring an experienced executive to manage a local government can result in overall savings due to better efficiency,” he continued. 

He also addressed the concerns that the commission heard about representation. 

“Changing to five commissioners instead of three would help with the concerns we heard about equal representation around the county,” he explained. “Right now there is a concern that Ennis, Sheridan and Twin are well represented, but other parts of the county are not. Adding more commissioners could balance this out.” 

With regards to the changes to the length of the terms served by the commissioners, Conklin pointed towards the complexity of the job and the time it takes to learn the ins and outs of managing the county as the primary reason to extend the terms. 

“These commissioners are managing a large organization that serves a lot of different missions,” he said, noting that the county commissioners oversee a Sheriff’s Department, two nursing homes, a planning team, legal services and more. “After four years, a commissioner is likely just figuring out what is going on. With a six year term, this will help them to be more effective.” 

Voters will ultimately decide whether the recommendations made are adopted on the November ballot. More information can be found at https://madisoncostudycommission.my.canva.site//