Montana Historical Society
Archives
RS 190_RS 502
Montana. Office of Budget and
Program Planning
Montana Office of Budget and Program Planning records
1961-1978
2.75 linear ft
This collection is a subgroup
(Office) of the Montana Office of the Governor records. The Montana Office of
Budget and Program Planning is administered through the Governor's Office. Please see the
primary finding aid for more Montana Office of the
Governor records. These records (1962-1975) include correspondence, news releases,
organizational charts, along with subject files on the deinstitutionalization of the
developmentally disabled, Glasgow Air Force Base, the Montana Futures Survey, the Needs
Assessment Project, and other projects, as well as miscellaneous materials.
English
From 1909 to 1951 the State Accountant was responsible for budgetary matters. The State
Controller assumed those responsibilities from 1951 until 1959, when the Office of State
Budget Director was created. That Office handled budgeting until 1969, when it was
eliminated and a Budget Division was created within the Department of Administration. A 1974
law delegated all budgetary responsibilities to the Governor. Also in 1974, the Office of
Budget and Program Planning was created, under the control of a Budget Director appointed by
the Governor.
The general purpose of the Office of Budget and Program Planning and its predecessor
agencies was and is to assist in the preparation and execution of the state budget by aiding
the state's chief budget officer (the Governor) and the legislature in making the best
decisions in allocating fiscal resources to meet public needs, and insuring that government
agencies carry out state programs efficiently, effectively, and in compliance with
legislative intent. While the legislature is in session, the primary function of the agency
is to assist the Appropriations Committees and state agencies during appropriation hearings,
and assist in the preparation of appropriation measures.
While the legislature is not in session, the agency does research for the Governor. Office
of Budget and Program Planning personnel consult with and advise agencies in the preparation
and presentation of budget requests; analyze and evaluate agencies' budget requests; revise
agencies' budgets or make recommendations for budget revisions to the governor; assist at
legislative budget hearings; interpret approved appropriations for agencies; gather data and
produce studies on problems with budgetary administration; and consult with and advise
agencies on how to control expenditures and develop annual budgets.
For the years covered by this collection, budget directors include the following people:
Edward W. Nelson (1961-1964); Richard F. Morris 1964-1969; Keith L. Colbo, 1969-1974;
Michael G. Billings, 1974-1977; George L. Boulisman, 1977-1978.
This collection is made up of eight series: general correspondence (1961-1978);
interoffice correspondence (1967-1978); news releases (1961-1977); organizational materials
(1971, undated); reports (1970, 1975); speeches (1969-1970); subject files (1962-1978); and
miscellany (1969-1971, undated).
The general correspondence is largely outgoing correspondence, and a substantial portion
with the Governor. The correspondence discusses agencies' budgets and requests, fiscal
policy and procedures, relevant legislation, and special projects. The interoffice
correspondence discusses similar topics. The news releases are few and concern news releases
issued by other state agencies considered erroneous by the budget director, and the budget
of Montana Highway Patrol. The organizational materials are agency charts and position
descriptions. The reports are reviews of the agency's work for the fiscal year. The three
speeches concern the general work of the agency and state revenue and budget agency
policy.
The subject files concern special studies which the Office of Budget and Program Planning
undertook, usually in conjunction with other state agencies. One such study (files on which
comprise about half of the total collection) is a study, coordinated by the Office of Budget
and Program Planning and conducted with the Department of Social and Rehabilitation
Services, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Department of Health
and Environmental Sciences, and the Department of Institutions, of a proposal to
deinstitutionalize the developmentally disabled. These files contain varied information on
the treatment of institutionalized individuals and the attitudes of all levels of personnel
in the various state departments. The miscellany series contains blank budget forms and some
unidentified writings chiefly concerning taxes in Montana.
The collection is arranged by series.
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical
Society Library & Archives. The Library & Archives does not necessarily hold
copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require
additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an
archivist.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Office of the Governor were integrated
under one collection identifier, RS 502, in order to help facilitate access, reduce
redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from the Montana Office of the Governor's various Offices and Programs that
were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 502. Rather than reprocessing over 15 linear feet of
Governor's materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those
collections/finding aids, and provide access to them via links through the central finding
aid. This decision has allowed the MTHS archival staff to maintain intellectual control over
the collection, while removing the need to reprocess it. It also keeps State Agency finding
aids at manageable sizes. Please read the scope and content note carefully to determine if
this subgroup/sub-subgroup pertains to your research needs.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers.
Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society
Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places
should search under these terms.
Indians of North America--Health and
hygiene--Montana.
Developmentally
disabled--Deinstitutionalization--Montana
Mental illness--Montana
Public welfare--Montana
Taxation--Montana
Montana
Medicine and
Health
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
General Correspondence
1 / 1
Chronological (correspondents include State
Controller, Helen Johnson, Montana Legislative Council, Art E. Lund, James M. Haughey,
Maxine Nutter, Vernon Sletten, James R. Felt, Montana Soldiers' Home, Montana Fish and
Game Commission, Ralph Levengood, Montana Taxpayers' Association, John C. Hall, James
Battin, plus many requests for information from other states' budget offices)
1961-1965
1 / 2
Chronological (correspondents include Dept. of State
Institutions, James P. Lucas, Gordon L. Doering, William R. Mackay, Montana
Stockgrowers Association secretary Ralph Miracle, Bernard Copping, Registrar of Motor
Vehicles, William H. Bertsche, memo re Anaconda Company strike, Montana State Prison,
Montana Highway Commission, plus many requests for information from other states'
budget offices)
1965-1969
1 / 3
Chronological (correspondents include Montana State
Controller, State Budget Director, Allan Louden, Montana Highway Commission, Montana
Milk Control Board, Industrial Accident Board, Dept. of Revenue, Attorney General,
Legislative Council)
1970-1973
1 / 4
Chronological (correspondents include Montana Dept.
of Revenue, Attorney General, Francis Bardanouve, State Budget Director, Public
Employees Retirement Division, Leon G. Billings, Governor Thomas L. Judge, David
Lewis, Dept. of Social and Rehabilitation Services, plus interoffice memos)
1974-1978
1 / 5-7
Montana Governor and staff
1961-1975
1 / 8
Montana House of Representatives (re legislation)
1974-1975
1 / 9
Montana Legislative Council
1970-1971
Interoffice Correspondence
1 / 10
Chronological
1967-1978
Organizational Records
1 / 11
Organizational charts, position descriptions, etc.
1971, undated
Press Releases
1 / 12
Miscellaneous (re breakdown of expenditures,
appropriations for Highway Patrol, public school funding)
1961-1977
Printed Material
1 / 13
List of printed material transferred to the Library
undated
Reports
1 / 13a
"Report with recommendations, on position
classification and compensation plans and related personnel matters" by J.L. Jacobs
and Company
1968
1 / 14
Miscellaneous (includes agency reports and requests,
Budget Division reports on major accomplishments, position of Budget Director)
1970, 1975
Speeches
1 / 15
State budget directors
1963-1970
Subject Files
1 / 16
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: background information and Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council
1971-1977
1 / 17
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: Boulder River School and Hospital
1963-1976, undated
1 / 18
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: correspondence and miscellany
1976-1977
1 / 19
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: grant application to U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare
1976-1977
1 / 19a
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: Hughes, Heiss and Associates reports
1976-1977
1 / 19b
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: Keith McCarthy report
1976
1 / 20
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: miscellany and notes
1975-1977
1 / 20a
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: Montana Advocacy Program
1977
1 / 21
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: Montana Dept. of Institutions
1974-1977
1 / 22
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: Montana Dept. of Social and Rehabilitation Services Developmental
Disabilities Division report of activities for FY 1977
1977
1 / 23
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: Montana Dept. of Social and Rehabilitation Services Developmental
Disabilities Division training and policies
1976-1977
1 / 24
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: organization of service agencies
1975-1976
2 / 1
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: organization of service agencies
1976-1977
2 / 2
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: plan for providing services in Region II (north- central Montana)
1976
2 / 3
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: progress reports
1976-1977
2 / 4-5
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: provider agencies
1974-1977, undated
2 / 6
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: reports
1976-1977
2 / 7
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: survey summaries (mental health care providers)
undated
2 / 8-9
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: survey summaries (regional mental health centers)
undated
2 / 10
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: survey summaries (regional staff, county social workers, administrators)
1975, undated
2 / 11
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: survey summaries (social service regional council members)
1975, undated
2 / 12
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: surveys (mental health center governing board members)
undated
2 / 13
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: surveys (miscellaneous)
1975-1976, undated
2 / 14
Deinstitutionalization of the developmentally
disabled: Warm Springs State Hospital
1965-1976
2 / 15
Drug, alcohol, and mental health programs (re Dr.
J.S. Rothstein's failure to fulfill a contract with the Montana Addictive Diseases
Unit)
1975, undated
2 / 16
Glasgow Air Force Base (re project to convert
military facility to an industrial complex)
1974-1975
2 / 17
Human services (re delivery and planning of)
1974-1976
2 / 18
Mentally retarded (re project to return them to their
area of origin)
1975
2 / 19
Montana Dept. of Intergovernmental Relations (re
proposed reorganization)
1974
3 / 1-2
Montana Futures survey (re survey for public input
into policy and planning alternatives)
1976-1978
3 / 3
Montana School for the Deaf and Blind
1962-1970, undated
3 / 4-6
Needs Assessment Project (re planning for the
provision of social services by the Montana Dept. of Social and Rehabilitation
Services, including Indian reservations)
1975-1977, undated
3 / 7
Newsletters of state agencies (review of)
1974-1975
3 / 8
Public Employees Retirement System
1977-1978
4 / 1
School Equalization Study (re school finance)
1963-1964
4 / 2
Wage and salary plan for state employees
1974-1975
Miscellany
4 / 3
Blank budget forms and examples of budget analyses by
Office of Budget and Program Planning
1969-1971
4 / 4
Writings
1970, undated