Columbia Falls to Seek Voter-Approval on Form of Government Adjustment This November

Columbia Falls city councilors this week unanimously finalized a recommendation from the city’s local government study commission, which has been meeting since January 2025, to ask voters this fall whether the city should transition from its current general-governing powers to self-governing powers.

The recommendation comes as a result of a June 2024 election where city voters narrowly approved a decennial audit that allowed the local municipality to review the structure and function of their government. The measure passed 52% (481) to 48% (444), leading to the activation of the local government study commission. 

The roughly 17 months of work from the commission — which consisted of the city’s former director of finance and administration, Connie Konopatzke; recently retired city manager, Susan Nicosia; and the city’s first city manager, Roger Hopkins — culminated in a divided recommendation to change the city’s plan of government from general-government to self-government powers, with commissioners saying the adjustment would give the city more flexibility as it continues to face growth and ever-evolving community needs.

Local governments with general government authority, such as Columbia Falls, can only exercise powers specifically granted by the state. If the state Legislature hasn’t delegated the power to a municipality to provide a service or perform a governmental function, a municipal government with general powers is not authorized to do so. 

Montana Code Annotated (MCA) 7-1-4123 and 4124 are generally the statutes associated with permissible powers for general-governing systems and allow any municipal government “to protect the public health, safety and welfare within their community,” according to the commission’s final report. The Legislature has also denied certain powers, specifically cited in MCA 7-1-111, for local governments operating under general-government powers. 

Columbia Falls’ local government study commission is recommending a transition to self-governing powers. This would mean that in addition to the powers granted by the state, “local governments with self-government authority may exercise any power not specifically prohibited by the Constitution, state law, or (a) local government charter,” according to the commission’s final report. 

This change would expand the range of actions the city can consider to address issues without waiting for permissive legislation from the state, all while maintaining all its current powers and authority, the commission said. 

Councilor John Piper, who served as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the commission, commended the commissioners for their extensive discussions over the course of the year-and-a-half process about the two forms of government power and how best to go to residents and the city council with their recommendation. 

“I was very impressed,” Piper said at the city council’s July 6 regular meeting. “A lot of times I sat back in awe at the discussions that were had and things I learned. Several members were passionate about this change and some weren’t, but all in all I don’t think it hurts to put it to the voters.”

The city’s last major change in government structure came in 1992 when it transitioned from a Council-Mayor to the Council-Manager form of government. Despite the pivotal change, the city maintained its general-governing powers, as opposed to asking voters to also adopt self-governing powers, according to the commission’s final report. A 2014 study commission also reviewed the question of a charter form of government with self-governing powers when studying the current form of government, but its final report recommended no change. 

Twelve years later, this iteration of the commission has recommended adopting self-governing power, with Hopkins and Konopatzke supporting the change and Nicosia voting against. 

In a minority report in the final document from the commission, Nicosia said she was in “general agreement with pursuing self-governing powers,” but was instead in favor of pursuing the powers “when there became an apparent need.”

“The topic of self-governing powers came from the commission members and not through the community surveys or through the public study commission meetings,” she wrote in the report.

Throughout the months of discussion, Hopkins and Konopatzke cited a variety of reasons for the transition to self-governing power, namely that it’s an opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive to future problems or needs in the community. Self-governing powers can allow for more narrowly tailored codes and ordinances to address community-specific issues. For example, the city of Havre’s voters finally adopted self-governing powers once the city had identified the community’s desire to adopt more stringent building codes to address dilapidated buildings. 

While the commissioners in favor acknowledged there isn’t a current situation requiring self-government powers, there are advantages to having them and the city wouldn’t lose any powers it currently enjoys.

Ultimately, the commission decided to recommend the switch to self-governing powers by way of the election later this year. Columbia Falls voters on their Nov. 3 ballots will be tasked with selecting one of the two options:

“FOR adoption of Self-Governing Powers proposed for City of Columbia Falls by the Columbia Falls City Study Commission,” or

“FOR the existing General Governing Powers”

Residents can expect informational flyers about the ballot measure to be sent out in the fall to help further explain the initiative, the commission said at its final June meeting.

To learn more about the local government study commission and the Nov. 3 ballot measure, click here. 

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