Government review could cost $12,000

Columbia Falls city manager Susan Nicosia estimates it will cost the city about $12,000 to conduct the government review process mandated by Article XI of the Montana Constitution.

That didn’t sit well with the Columbia Falls City Council at their March 3 meeting, especially councilor Dave Petersen, who wanted to know what the state would do if the city didn’t comply.

“Let’s let it ride and see what happens,” he suggested.

“As a city councilor, you’re sworn to uphold the Constitution,” mayor Don Barnhart reminded Petersen.

Nicosia explained that the city must ask the voters on June 3 if they want a government review. A second election would need to be held on Nov. 4 to choose the three or more committee members who would do the reviewing.

It could be two years before the recommendations would come back to the voters. Each election would cost about $4,000, she said, and the committee members would need to be trained.

The review process must take place every 10 years, Nicosia explained, but according to the Flathead County Election Department, “It’s typically voted down.”

In 2004, voters turned down the measure in Columbia Falls, Kalispell and Flathead County. Voters in Whitefish approved a review, and after a yearlong process, the city council lengthened the term for city mayor from two years to four.

The council approved a resolution to put the issue on the June 3 ballot by a 5-1 vote, with Petersen in opposition and Julie Plevel absent.