When the notice came out about an upcoming June election, I felt a need to understand a little more about what this election was about, and why an election is necessary. Mayor Sandra Jones recently took some time out of her busy day to explain a few facts to me about the election. As per the Montana Constitution, every ten years municipalities must vote on the type of government they wish for their town or city.

There are choices and, as the Mayor pointed out, change is good and sometimes necessary. There are choices available to the city of Roundup. Going forward, we, as voters, need to decide which choice, or option, is best for us. The upcoming election is to decide if the voting majority want to keep our current form of government, or pursue other options.

There are certain criteria for each option, based on the class of a city. Currently Roundup is a Class Three city. If, and when, we reach 5,000 citizens, we will become a Class Two city.

The highly condensed definition of the forms of governing include:

Town meeting - annual meeting - one person in charge - example of direct democracy - community governs itself

Commission - seen only in some counties in Montana

Commission - presiding officer - in essence a 'parliamentary' form of government - rare in Montana

Commission executive - mayor/city council - this is the type Roundup currently has.

Commission manager - a paid CEO manages the city, the CEO is not selected. The commission is made of usually five members of the community to set goals and hire a manager or CEO.

Charter form - In essence, a municipal charter is a voter approved written constitution that defines the powers, structures, privileges, rights and duties of the local government.

This information is contained in this online source:

https://www.montana.edu/extension/localgov/resourcesandhandouts/referencedocuments/municipalofficialshandbook/mmoh_chapter1.html#1-3