County, city support lobbying options at Legislature, concerned about impacts to local government
Cascade County Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution this month opposing any legislation limiting or prohibiting the Montana Association of Counties from lobbying on behalf of its members, including Cascade County.
Commissioner Jim Larson, current chairman, introduced the resolution saying that during the past few sessions, Montana lawmakers had entertained limiting the ability of MACo to represent county governments at the Legislature.
Cascade County is a member and Larson said MACo provides a number of services to the county, including lobbying for counties during the session.
“MACo is consistently in attendance at the Legislature, walking the halls of the capital, monitoring the ever-changing online bills and testimonies, and paying attention to bills which impact Montana counties and providing notification of potential legislative issues or concerns,” according to the county’s resolution.
There are two bills currently being considered at the Legislature that “threaten MACo’s future advocacy ability,” according to county commissioners.
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Commissioner Joe Briggs said during the Feb. 5 commission work session that one bill would prohibit the use of any taxpayer funds from being used for lobbying, which would also prohibit sitting commissioners and local government employees from being reimbursed for driving to Helena to testify on bills that impact local government.
Briggs said the prohibition would apply to MACo and other public associations such as the county treasurers, planners, law enforcement, the school board association and more.
“Everybody would be blocked” from lobbying on behalf of their members, which would affect the public, Briggs said.
“If the bills pass as currently written and proposed, MACo would no longer have a voice with legislators, they would no longer be able to provide crucial testimony before the legislature on matters of impact to Montana counties, and MACo’s ability to help cover costs for county commissioners to attend the legislature in Helena to stand up for Montana counties’ rights and be a voice for Cascade County citizens could be negated,” according to Larson’s agenda report.
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“I think it would really cripple our abilities if MACo is not allowed to lobby for us in front of the Legislature,” Larson said during the Feb. 5 work session.
During their Feb. 11 regular meeting, Briggs said “it is really critical” that legislators be able to hear directly from counties the impacts of things they’re proposing.
Many legislators haven’t served in local government, Briggs said, so they don’t understand the impact of their bills on local government.
“I consider this absolutely critical that this be able to continue,” Briggs said of MACo’s lobbying ability on behalf of counties.
Briggs said that having MACo represent county interests at the Legislature, and in Washington, D.C., saves counties money rather than having commissioners from all over the state travel to Helena to testify on bills.
“The Legislature really does need to understand the impacts of things,” Briggs said.
As of Feb. 10, Briggs said 28 counties had passed similar resolutions and several others, including Cascade, had resolutions on their Feb. 11 agendas.
Larson said they needed MACo to help keep them up to date on bills during the session.
“MACO lets us know and they stand up for us,” Larson said.
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Commissioner Eric Hinebauch, who took county office in January, didn’t say anything about the resolution during the Feb. 11 meeting.
Richard Liebert, a local rancher and county planning board member, said that MACo and the League of Cities and Towns, which represents incorporated local governments, are there to save local governments money.
“I just can’t believe the majority party of the Legislature would even allow this to move forward. MACo is essential, especially for rural counties,” Liebert said, nad he considers Cascade County rural.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Liebert said. “It’s just unconscionable.”
Shannon Wilson, speaking as a private citizen, said ” I am continually disturbed by the Legislature’s continuous grab of control form local governments.”
Wilson, a city commissioner, said they were concerned about the bills at the city and was grateful to county commissioners for passing the resolution.
The city has not considered a similar resolution.
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The City Commission has relied on the Montana League of Cities and Towns for lobbying efforts in the past, with the previous mayors, city commissioners and city staff testifying in Helena on bills that would impact the city.
Commissioner Joe McKenney said during their Jan. 3 retreat, that they had wanted to hire their own lobbyist this session.
The city has an $18,000 professional services agreement with Chuck Denowh from The Montana Group.
Under the proposed bills, that lobbying on the city’s behalf wouldn’t be allowed.
There are several proposed bills that remove some local controls for tax increment financing and levies, among other items.
“It’s kinda funny how legislators say local control during their campaigns then get down there and take away local control,” McKenney said.
During the Feb. 4 City Commission meeting, City Manager Greg Doyon said that the League takes a broad view on bills that impact municipal government, but the city anticipated some things, so they hired a lobbyist, paid with public funds.
He said staff has limited capability to testify in Helena and “it’s been great to have a lobbyist.”
During the Feb. 4 meeting, Doyon told commissioners that staff and the lobbyist were watching three bills that “if they pass, they’re going to fundamentally change how we do public finance in the state.”
Those three bills are:
- SB 204, sponsored by Sen. Greg Hertz, which would add sunsets to voter approved levies. Doyon said that he believed in only asking for a levy “when you really need it” and “those needs don’t go away” so having to go back to voters repeatedly for the same needs would add cost to the taxpayer to cover those additional election costs.
- SB205, sponsored by Hertz, would revise laws related to levies; and
- HB20, sponsored by Rep. Larry Brewster, would require levies to be on the ballot in dollar amounts rather than mills. Currently, the ballot language requires that the estimated dollar amount be included. Doyon said that if the city did a levy to hire firefighters in dollars rather than mills, they’d have to lay those same firefighters off in a few years as the dollar figure wouldn’t keep up with increased costs whereas mills would keep pace with valuations.
Doyon said he thinks HB20 will pass and that officials are exploring a work around like asking voters to allow for an inflationary rate, but that would likely be legally tested.
He said that he understands legislators heard a lot about property taxes during their campaigns over the last few years and are trying to make changes, but they should know the impact to local government.
