Mayor's Corner

Happy Spring everyone.

If it seems this article looks familiar, I did write about the Local Government Review a couple of months back. Because there have been more questions, I have added some additional

information.

The Local Government Review (LGR) is going to be voted on in this upcoming primary. Some residents of Sanders County will vote twice, once for the County question and if they live in an incorporated area, vote for their city.

Some history: The 1972 Constitution established that the LGR was to be held by each Montana city and county every ten years. This requirement can be found in the Montana Code

Annotated (MCA) 7-3-171 through 7-3-193. It states in 7-3-173(2), MCA, “The governing body shall call for an election, to be held on the primary election date, on the question of conducting a

local government review and establishing a study commission ….”

There have been some misconceptions about just what is involved. To get complete accurate information, go to Montana Secretary of State, Local Government Review. You’ll see an option to download or preview FAQ’s, a timeline of the process and a sample notice of this. We will also have printouts of these here at City Hall.

Montana State University ( http://www.montana.edu/extension/localgov/mtvoterreview ) has further information about the review including webinars.

Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, emphasized the importance of an informed citizenry. Here is a notable quote attributed to him: "Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own

government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they

may be relied on to set them to rights."

Jefferson believed that an informed populace was essential for the preservation of liberty and self-governance.