Missoula City and County Local Government Study Commissions Records

Missoula City and County Local Government Study Commissions Records, 1974-1976

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Missoula City and County Local Government Study Commissions
Title: Missoula City and County Local Government Study Commissions Records
Dates: 1974-1976 (inclusive)
19741976
Quantity: 8.5 linear feet, (15 boxes and 1 oversize box)
Collection Number: Mss 118
Summary: The Missoula City and County Local Government Study Commissions conducted a review of Missoula's local government in 1974-1976. The collection contains documentation of their study and their proposed revisions to city and county government, which voters rejected in 1976.
Repository: University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions: Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana--Missoula.
Languages: English
Sponsor: Funding for creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

According to the 1972 Montana state constitution, if the citizens of the both the county and the city decree, a coalition will be formed every ten years to study the local government structure to determine if the city and county governments should be combined. In 1976 the first statewide Local Government Study Commissions were formed.

In Missoula, member of the County Local Government Study Commission were Audra Browman, Alice Campbell, Becki Deschamps, Elmer Frame, Kit Johnson, Nancy Orr, and John Toole. Members of the City Local Government Study Commission were Paul Crowley, Barbara Evans, Doug Hansen, Nancy St. John, Margot Talbot, Don Weston, and Kim Williams.

After reviewing the city and county governments, as both separate and joint commissions, the commissions together recommended that Missoula's city and county governments consolidate. Voters rejected this at the June 1, 1976 election.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection contains documentation of the Commissions' study and their proposed revisions to city and county government, which voters rejected in 1976. It contains minutes of their joint and separate meetings, correspondence with local and state officials and communications with other study commissions around Montana, the position papers and statements of individuals serving on the commissions, voting records, reports on the activities of committees, and the final charter and reports produced by the commissions. In 2017, 45 cassette tapes and 1 reel-to-reel audio recording that were originally identified as OH 118 were accessioned and added to this collection. The recordings contain audio of specific meetings conducted between 1974 and 1976 as well as testimony from various local government officials.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Missoula City and County Local Government Study Commissions Records, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in eight series:

Series I: Minutes, 1.25 linear feet, 1974-1976

Series II: Correspondence, 0.5 linear feet, 1974-1976

Series III: Position Papers, 1 folder, 1975

Series IV: Statements, 2 folders, 1975-1976

Series V: Voting, 1 folder, 1975-1976

Series VI: Committees, 1.75 linear feet, 1974-1976

Series VII: Reports, 2.0 linear feet, 1974-1976

Series VIII: Publications, 2.0 linear feet, undated

Series IX: Audio Recordings, 1.0 linear feet, 1974-1976

Acquisition Information

Gift of Missoula County, 1977.

Processing Note

The collection was originally arranged and described after donation. In 2004, the finding aid was minimally revised and encoded.

In 2017, the audio recordings for this collection, which were originally separated, were added back into the collection.

Separated Materials

A number of books that came with the papers were separated and placed in the general, Montana, or government documents collections.

Related Materials

See also Mss 187, Coalition for Local Government Study (Missoula, Mont.) Records; Mss 561, Montana Local Government Study Commissions Collection; Mss 671, Missoula City Local Government Study Commission Records; and OH 118, forty-six recordings of meetings of the Missoula City-County Study Commission meetings, 1974-1976.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I: Minutes, 1974-1976Return to Top

1.25 linear feet

This series contains meeting minutes from the Missoula City Local Government Study Commission and the Missoula County Local Government Study Commission for their separate and joint meetings. Most of the minutes are handwritten in steno notebooks; a portion of these are in shorthand. Other minutes are typewritten. All contain a record of the conversations and decisions of the Commissions.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/1	City	January 2, 1975-March 18, 1975
1/2	City	March 25, 1975-June 3, 1975
1/3	County	January 2, 1975-April 24, 1975
1/4	County	April 22, 1975-June 5, 1975
1/5	Joint	May 29, 1975-July 31, 1975
1/6	Joint	August 7, 1975-September 4, 1975
1/7	Joint	September 24, 1975-November 20, 1975
1/8	City, County, Joint	December 2, 1975-January 22, 1976
1/9	City	January 15, 1976-January 26-1976
1/10	Joint	January 29, 1976-March 20, 1976
1/11	Joint	March 22, 1976-June 17, 1976
2/1	Speakers	June 1976
2/2	Minutes	April 1976
2/3	Minutes	January 1975
2/4	Minutes	April 16, 1975-July 8, 1975
2/5	Minutes	September 23, 1975
2/6	Minutes	July 9, 1975-November 9, 1975
2/7	Minutes	October, 1975-February 16, 1976
2/8	Minutes	February 1976
2/9	County	November 8, 1974-January 22, 1976
2/10	City	November 14, 1974-January 26, 1976
2/11	Joint	November 12, 1974-July 31, 1975
3/1	Joint	August 4, 1975-August 28, 1975
3/2	Joint	September 2, 1975-September 26, 1975
3/3	Joint	October 1, 1975-November 20, 1975
3/4	Joint	December 2, 1975-February 24, 1976
3/5	Joint	March 4, 1976-June 17, 1976

Series II: Correspondence, 1974-1976Return to Top

0.5 linear feet

This series contains the correspondence of both the city and county commissions, issued singly and jointly. Correspondents include state legislators during the 1975 Montana Legislature, the State Commission of Local Government, and other Montana city and county commissions.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
3/6	Legislative	1975
3/7	Joint	1975-1976
3/8	Correspondence	1974-1975
4/1	Conferences and meetings	1974-1975
4/2	State Commission on Local Government	1975-1976
4/3	Other commissions	1975-1976
4/4	Citizen comment	1975-1976

Series III: Position Papers, 1975Return to Top

1 folder

This series contains position papers from individual members of the Missoula County Local Government Study Commission. Issues discussed are the mixed urban and rural nature of Missoula County, confederation of city and county governments, and specific plans for any confederations thereof.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
4/5	Position Papers

Series IV: Statements, 1975-1976Return to Top

2 folders

This series contains joint statements of the city and county commissions on specific issues of city and county consolidation.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
4/6	Statements	June 26, 1975-July 24, 1975
4/7	Statements	July 11, 1975-June 17, 1976

Series V: Voting, 1975-1976Return to Top

1 folder

This series contains meeting minutes with records of how city and county commission members voted.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
4/8	Voting

Series VI: Committees, 1974-1976Return to Top

1.75 linear feet

This series contains reports, correspondence, and public information materials produced by the various standing and charter committees of the city and county study commissions. The standing committees were Joint Budget, Executive, Joint Personnel, and Public Information. The last committee produced materials to inform residents of Missoula city and county on the purpose, progress, and questions facing the study commissions. The charter committees were the Committee on Legal Problems, Apportionments & Redistricting, Taxation & Service District, Public Education, and Charter Drafting. The Committee on Legal Problems materials include extensive correspondence with the State Commission on Local Government (lead attorney Mike Sehestedt) and with Missoula County Attorney Robert L. "Dusty" Deschamps III. The Charter Drafting materials, most of the series, show the process of drafting the various portions of the proposed joint city-county charter.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	Subseries 1: Standing Committees	1974-1976
Box/Folder
4/9	Joint budget	1975-1976
4/10	Executive, plan	1975-1976
4/11	Executive, projects	1975-1976
4/12	Executive, reports	1975-1976
4/13	Joint personnel	1975-1976
4/14	Public information, brochure	[1975]
4/15	Public information, correspondence	1975-1976
5/1	Public information, Fair booth	1975
5/2	Public information, news releases	1975-1976
5/3	Public information, projects	1975
5/4	Public information, reports	1975
5/5	Public information, speaker's bureau	1974-1976
5/6	Public information, speaker's bureau forums	1975-1976
5/7	Public information, state newsletter	1975-1976
5/8	Public information, general	1975-1976
	Subseries 2: Charter Committees	1975-1976
Box/Folder
5/9	Committee on Legal Problems	1975
5/10	Committee on Legal Problems, Sehestdt	1975
5/11	Committee on Legal Problems, Deschamps	1975-1976
5/12	Apportionment & Redistricting Committee	1975-1976
5/13	Taxation & Service Committee	1975-1976
5/14	Public Education, background papers	1975
6/1	Public Education, brochure	1976
6/2	Public Education, employee relations	1975-1976
6/3	Public Education, correspondence	1975-1976
6/4	Public Education, planning	1975-1976
6/5	Public Education, preamble	1975-1976
6/6	Public Education, reports	1975-1976
6/7	Public Education, survey	undated
6/8	Public Education, flip charts	undated
6/9	Public Education, news releases	1976
6/10	Public Education, workshop 1	1975-1976
6/11	Charter Drafting Committees, composite drafting committee	1975
6/12	Charter Drafting Committees, Legislative Drafting Committee	1975
6/13	Charter Drafting Committees, Executive Drafting Committee	undated
6/14	Charter Drafting Committees, Administrative Structure Drafting Committee	1975
6/15	Charter Drafting Committees, Popular Controls and Preamble Drafting Committee	1975
6/16	Charter Drafting Committees, Transition Committee	1975
6/17	Charter Drafting Committees, Power Drafting Committee	1975
6/18	Charter Drafting Committees, Charter drafts	1975-1976
6/19	Charter Drafting Committees, Charter summaries	1975-1976
6/20	Charter Drafting Committees, Comparison Drafting Committee	1976
7/1	Charter Drafting Committees, Chamber of Commerce charts	undated
7/2	Charter Drafting Committees, slide show script	1976
7/3	Charter Drafting Committees, reviewer selection	1975-1976
7/4	Charter Drafting Committees, reviewers	1975-1976
7/5	Charter Drafting Committees, Missoula City-County Charter	1976
7/6	Charter Drafting Committees, charter discussions	1976
7/7	Charter Drafting Committees, charter study	1976
7/8	Charter Drafting Committees, Ratification campaign I	1976
7/9	Charter Drafting Committees, Ratification campaign II	1976
7/10	Charter Drafting Committees, Charter writing statements	1975

Series VII: Reports, 1974-1976Return to Top

2.0 linear feet

This series contains reports issued by the Commissions during and at the conclusion of their review, including draft and final versions of their report and proposed joint charter for Missoula City-County. There are also three subseries of reports produced by the city of Missoula, Missoula County, and the state of Montana that appear to have been used for research by the Commissions.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
8/1	Tentative Report: Regarding a Chronology of the Missoula City and County Local Government Study Commissions from November 4, 1974 to April 8, 1975 with reference to the Final Report Campaign Activity Jan Konigsberg	1976
8/2	Mini-biographies: Don Weston, Audra Browman, Nancy Orr, Kit Johnson, Kim Williams, John Toole, Paul Crowley	1975
8/3	Council member salary	1975-1976
8/4	Elected vs. appointed administrator	1975
8/5	Missoula interlocal cooperation commission	1974
8/6	Law enforcement study	1975
8/7	Law enforcement	1975-1976
8/8	Planning staff	1975-1976
8/9	Present government synopsis	1975-1976
8/10	Present city/county government	1975
8/11	Voter review of local government information exchange	1975
8/12	Original signature sheets (charter)	1976
8/13	Schaill report	1975
8/14	Summary report of Commissions' work	1976
8/15	Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas	1975
8/16	City/county statistics	1970-1976
8/17	Alan Davis economic report	1976
8/18	City/county questionnaire	1975
9/1	Other joint reports	1975
9/2	Tentative report documents	1975-1976
9/3	Project final report	1976
9/4	Final report documents	1976
9/5	Other final reports (Montana)	1976
9/6	Final draft	1976
9/7	Missoulian presentation of report	1976
9/8	Subjective Report Barbara Evans Audra Browman	1976
	Subseries 1: City	1974-1975
Box/Folder
9/9	Budget	1975
9/10	General correspondence	1974-1975
9/11	Interviews	1975
9/12	Interviews	1975
9/13	City engineer	undated
9/14	News releases	1975
10/1	Proposed plans	1975
10/2	Reading file	1975
10/3	City of Missoula, manual on policies and procedures	undated
	Subseries 2: County	1974-1976
Box/Folder
10/4	Budget	1974-1975
10/5	Reading file	1975
10/6	Hearing questionnaires	1975
10/7	Organizational research	1975
10/8	Organizational research	1975
10/9	Plan	1975-1976
10/10	Questionnaire	1975
11/1	Questionnaire	1975-1976
11/2	Time table	1975
11/3	Personnel plan	1974-1976
	Subseries 3: State	1974-1976
Box/Folder
11/4	State Coordinating Council	1976
11/5	Government structure	1975
11/6	Information exchange memos	1974-1976
11/7	Meetings	1974-1976
11/8	Meetings	1974-1976
11/9	General information	undated
11/10	Payroll receipts	1975-1976
11/11	Personnel	undated
11/12	Writ of Prohibition	1976

Series VIII: Publications, undatedReturn to Top

2.0 linear feet

This series contains various items collected by Commission members in the course of their research.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box
12	Publications	undated
13	Publications	undated
Box/Folder
14OS/1	Bibliographies	undated
14OS/2	Mailing lists	undated
14OS/3	Petition papers	undated
14OS/4	Publications	undated

Series IX: Audio Recordings of Study Commission Meetings, 1974-1976Return to Top

1.0 linear feet

This series contains 45 audio recordings, on cassette and reel-to-reel, of meetings held by and testimony delivered to the Commission. The title of each item is the name of the primary speaker(s) on the audio. Series contains four audio recordings of other Montana city and county local government study commissions not related to Missoula.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
box-item
15/OH 118-001	Health and Welfare Departments	January 23, 1974
15/OH 118-002	Larry Haegan; Jack Hanes	December 3, 1974; December 10, 1974
15/OH 118-003	Testimony of Bernice Helm	December 10, 1974
15/OH 118-004	City Council and County Commission	January 25, 1975
15/OH 118-005	City Council	January 25, 1975
15/OH 118-006	Testimony of Mayor Brown	February 6, 1975
15/OH 118-007	Peter Koehn, Bureau of Government Research	February 25, 1975
15/OH 118-008	Johnson	March 11, 1975
15/OH 118-009	Growly, Barrett, and Walters	March 11, 1975
15/OH 118-010	Testimony of Jones and Snyder	March 18, 1975
15/OH 118-011	Testimony of Robinson and Dr. Hulla	March 25, 1975
15/OH 118-012	Testimony of Loren Lutzenhiser	March 27, 1975
15/OH 118-013	Judge Richard Volinkity	April 1, 1975
15/OH 118-014	Judge Richard Volinkity	April 1, 1975
15/OH 118-015	Alderman	April 15, 1975
15/OH 118-016	Testimony of Fred Thompson and Smith	April 21, 1975
15/OH 118-017	Tom Cronley	April 24, 1975
15/OH 118-018	Tom Payne	February 24, 1975
16/OH 118-019	Walt Hill, City Council member	April 29, 1975
16/OH 118-020	Position papers	May 1, 1975
16/OH 118-021	Position papers	May 1, 1975
16/OH 118-022	Joint meeting	May 29, 1975
16/OH 118-023	Mike Schestedt	December 2, 1975
16/OH 118-024	Minutes of a Missoula City meeting	January 15, 1976
16/OH 118-025	Minutes of a Missoula City meeting	January 15, 1976
16/OH 118-026	Police and Fire Departments	March 4, 1976
16/OH 118-027	Fire Department	March 4, 1976
16/OH 118-028	unidentified Study Commission meeting	March 25, 1976
16/OH 118-029	Jack Patterson	May 13, 1976
16/OH 118-030	Minutes	May 24, 1976
16/OH 118-031	Dooley, State Examiner	undated
16/OH 118-032	Kryszak	undated
16/OH 118-033	Former mayors	undated
16/OH 118-034	Former mayors	undated
16/OH 118-035	George Turman	undated
16/OH 118-036	Alderman Huggins	undated
16/OH 118-037	City Council and County Commission meeting	undated
16/OH 118-038	City Council and County Commission meeting	undated
16/OH 118-039	unidentified Study Commission meeting	undated
16/OH 118-040	unidentified Study Commission meeting	undated
16/OH 118-041	Kalispell Local Government Study Commission	January 11, circa 1975
16/OH 118-042	Kalispell Local Government Study Commission	January 11, circa 1975
16/OH 118-043	Whitefish Local Government Study Commission	January 10, 1975
16/OH 118-044	Billings Local Government Study Commission, Joe Dorham and Gary Gragham	March 4, 1975
16/OH 118-045	Missoula City and County Local Government Study Commission	March 22, 1976
16/OH 118-046	Public service announcements	undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Metropolitan government--Montana

Geographical Names

Missoula (Mont.)--Politics and government
Missoula County (Mont.)--Politics and government

Other Creators

Corporate Names
- Missoula City Local Government Study Commission
- Missoula County Local Government Study Commission

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