Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Coalition for Local Government Study (Missoula, Mont.) Records, 1962-1983
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Coalition for Local Government Study (Missoula, Mont.)
- Title
- Coalition for Local Government Study (Missoula, Mont.) Records
- Dates
- 1962-1983 (inclusive)19621983
- Quantity
- 1.5 linear feet, (3 boxes)
- Collection Number
- Mss 187 (collection)
- Summary
- Local government study commissions were convened across Montana after the 1972 Montana State Constitution was passed; they review the structure and functions of city and county governments. The collection contains records from the Missoula City-County Coalition Study from 1982.
- 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 encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Coalition for Local Government Study in Missoula, Montana, formed a sixteen-member executive board. This brought together eight members representing the city of Missoula and eight members representing the county to discuss the question of consolidating Missoula's city and county governments. This followed on the heels of the 1974-1976 local government review board mandated by the 1972 Montana state constitution. Tom Gorczynski was chosen as the chairman of the board.
Two hundred seventy-one people joined the general assembly to study the effects of the joining the city and county governments. The executive board formed administrative committees, including policy, public relations, steering, and transition committees. The entire coalition membership was invited to join the four task forces, local government forms, representation, services, and taxation, to discuss the study. The study looked for alternative forms of city and county government including consolidated, self-government powers, commission-executive form of government. The study concluded with the Home Rule Charter, which established a single county-wide government to replace the present separate city and county governments. The Home Rule Charter was voted on by the citizens of Missoula and Missoula county in the 1983 general election and defeated.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection contains records from Missoula's Coalition for Local Government Study 1982. It includes correspondence, research materials, board minutes, and records of committees.
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], Coalition for Local Government Study (Missoula, Mont.) Records, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is divided into eleven series:
Series I: General Correspondence, 1 folder, 1982-1983
Series II: Research Materials, 0.5 linear feet, 1962-1983
Series III: General Coalition Board Records, 16 folders, 1975-1976, 1982-1983
Series IV: Executive Board, 3 folders, 1976, 1982-1983
Series V: General Membership, 1 folder, 1976, 1982-1983
Series VI: Study Committees, 4 folders, 1976, 1982-1982
Series VII: Task Force Committees, 9 folders, 1979-1983
Custodial History
The custodial history of Missoula City-County Coalition Study materials is unknown.
Acquisition Information
Gift of J.S. Emmett, date unknown.
Processing Note
The actions of the original processors are unknown. In 1998, previously processed materials from the Missoula City-County Coalition Study were reorganized and re-described. In 2004, the finding aid was revised.
Related Materials
See also Mss 118, Missoula City and County Local Government Study Commissions Records; Mss 561, Montana Local Government Study Commissions Collection; and Mss 671, Missoula City Local Government Study Commission Records.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: General Correspondence, 1982-1983Return to Top
The majority of the correspondence in the series is from the coalition's chairman of the board, Tom Gorczynski. The correspondence consists of thank-you letters to donors and coalition members, letters to other public officials, such as County Commissioner Barbara Evans, and letters confirming participation in local events. Also in the series is a few newsletters that Gorczynski sent to the members of the coalition. The series contains a memorandum of agreement between the Missoula Board of County Commissions and the Coalition for Local Government Study for the need of financial assistance to purchase county and city research materials.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1/1 | 1982-1983 |
Series II: Research Materials, 1962-1983 Return to Top
This series contains materials that the policy, public information, steering, and transition plan committees used in their discussions about the effect of combining the city and county government. The materials consist of national and Montana county research. The county research centers on addresses of public officials in the state and county, community profiles, and legislative issues.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1/2 | Addresses for Government
Officials |
1980-1983 |
1/3 | "Brief Synopsis of Local
Government in Missoula city and county" |
1975 |
1/4 | Charters of other local
governments |
1977, undated |
1/5 | Community Profile |
1981-1982 |
1/6 | Government Expenditures Report
|
1980-1981 |
1/7 | Government Reform Articles
|
undated |
1/8 | Issue Identification |
1982 |
1/9 | Issues for Campaign |
1982 |
1/10 | League of Women Voters
|
1962, 1982-1983 |
1/11 | Legislative Issues |
1982 |
1/12 | Missoula City-County
Organizational Charts and Staffing Information |
1981 |
1/13 | National Association of Counties
(NACo) |
1979-1983, undated |
1/14 | Public Opinion Poll |
1981 |
1/15 | Service Districts |
undated |
1/16 | State Statutes on Local
Government |
undated |
1/17 | Tax Districts |
1982 |
Series III: Board Records, 1975-1976, 1982-1983Return to Top
This series consists of materials that the general membership of the coalition came into contact, which include questionnaires, newsletters, press releases, a membership list, a slide show presentation, public speaking handouts, and an outline for the final board recommendation. Also in the series is a copy of an injunction from the Missoula County Freeholders, a property owners association, had against the coalition. The injunction, made by two members of the coalition, asked for bylaws to be adopted and to limit membership to only those members who had paid their ten-dollar dues. A copy of the Home Rule Charter is also in the series.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2/1 | Campaign for passage of Home Rule
Charter |
1983 |
2/2 | Citizen Questionnaires
|
1982 |
2/3 | Communication Questionnaires
|
undated |
2/4 | Final Board Recommendation and
Outline |
1982 |
2/5 | Law Suit: Freeholders v.
Coalition |
1983 |
2/6 | Membership List |
1982 |
2/7 | Missoula City and County Study
Commission |
1975-1976 |
2/8 | Missoula County Citizens for
Better Government |
1983 |
2/9 | Newsletter |
1982 |
2/10 | Pamphlets on Local Government
|
undated |
2/11 | Petition Drive |
1983 |
2/12 | Public Speaking |
1982-1983 |
2/13 | Press Releases |
1982-1983 |
2/14 | Proposed Charter |
1983 |
2/15 | Questionnaires |
undated |
2/16 | Slide Show |
undated |
Series IV: Executive Board, 1976, 1982-1983Return to Top
The series contains meeting minutes, research information that the board used as a basis for their recommendations, and questionnaires about local taxation. Much of the research information are key issues, including mill levies, budgets, and voting information. The questionnaires are filled out by local constituents and include comments about city and county taxation.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2/17 | Meeting Minutes |
1982 |
2/18 | Questionnaires |
1982 |
2/19 | Research Information |
1982-1983 |
Series V: General Membership, 1976, 1982-1983Return to Top
The series consists of meeting minutes that contain reports on committees within the coalition, voting information, and discussions within the coalition. Absentee voting registers are also included within the meeting minutes.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2/20 | Meeting Minutes |
1976, 1982-1983 |
Series VI: Study Committees, 1976, 1982-1982, undatedReturn to Top
This series contains meeting minutes of the different committees within the coalition, including the policy, public information, steering, and transition plan committees. The public information committee dealt with the public's perception of the coalition. Different research information about Missoula city and county profiles were used in determining the best public relations stand points. The steering committee discussed information about how the coalition should be managed, including financial matters, meeting attendance, and general policies of the coalition. The transition committee decided the effective date of the transition from city and county governments to the combined government, the length of transition, which boards and authorities to maintain, and personnel. A copy of the pamphlet "Local Governments in Transition," by James J. Lopach, is also included in the transition committee minutes.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
3/1 | Policy Committee |
undated |
3/2 | Public Information Committee
|
1982-1983 |
3/3 | Steering Committee |
1982 |
3/4 | Transition Plan Committee
|
1976, 1983 |
Series VII: Task Force Committees , 1979-1983Return to Top
This series contains meeting minutes and research materials that the study's task forces used in deciding which methods they would support for the combined city and county government. The task forces consisted of the general coalition membership. The task forces were developed to encourage public involvement to represent a cross section of community interest. The goals of the local government task force was to study alternative forms of government and select forms to study, to identify concerns of current forms of city and county government, and to make recommendations of alternative forms of government for the Missoula area. The representation task force discussed issues of population districts and how representative they are, review maps for various service and special districts within the Missoula area, and review voter statistics. The services task force dealt with the direction with services of the two governments as it formed into one group. The group categorized the services into public works and administrative services. They also identified what the current services provided and where the desired level of those services should be, and the problem areas that the services were to handle. The services task force was divided into several sub-committees including fire and law enforcement. The taxation task force dealt with issues involving mill levies, a decrease in tax dollars, taxation imbalances, city retirement fund, policy for federally funded programs, future trends, and alternative sources of revenue. Several reports are filed within the taxation task force research.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
3/5 | Comprehensive plan for Task
Forces |
undated |
3/6 | General Task Force |
1982 |
3/7 | Local Government Task Force
|
1982 |
3/8 | Representation Task Force
|
1982 |
3/9 | Services Task Force |
1982 |
3/10 | Services Task Force, Fire
Sub-Committee |
1982 |
3/11 | Services Task Force, Law
Enforcement Sub-Committee |
1982-1983 |
3/12 | Taxation Task Force |
1979-1982 |
3/13 | Taxation Task Force |
1982 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Metropolitan government--Montana
Geographical Names
- Missoula (Mont.)--Politics and government
- Missoula County (Mont.)--Politics and government