Local Government Review Board

City of Sidney Montana’s Sunrise City 115 2nd Street S.E., Sidney, Montana - 406-433-2809 Local Government Review Board Minutes November 21, 2024 at 5:30 PM 1. Call to Order Mayor Norby called the first meeting of the Sidney Local Government Review Board to order. 2. New Business a. Elect Temporary Presiding Officer Mayor Norby stated the first order of business will be the Board electing a Temporary Presiding Officer who will run the remaining of this meeting and any further meetings until permanent officers are elected. Motion was made to elect Mrs. Sergent as Temporary Presiding Officer. Motion made by Mayer, Seconded by Whiteman. Voting Yea: Sergent, Whiteman, Mayer b. Adopt Bylaws -Officers -Staff (Administrative Representative (cost negotiation with City Council) -Frequency, Day and Time of Meetings -Agenda Structure Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin provided draft bylaws for the LGRB to review. She stated the locations that she needs specific action on is for what officer positions they would like to have, the staff, the meeting details including when they will meet and the agenda The City of Sidney is an equal opportunity provider.  structure. She stated she has provided examples in red for these areas to be discussed. She stated that the bylaws can be amended in the future if changes need to be made. Staff: Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin stated the current bylaws has an Administrative Representative who completes the staff work for the Board, including agenda, minutes, noticing, posting and budget management. She stated instead of an Administrative Representative, the LGRB can also elect to have a Secretary/Treasurer from the Board members. It was the general consensus to keep the Administrative Representative as a staff position. Officers: Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin stated the current bylaws has a Presiding Officer who is basically the President of the Board and a Vice President. She stated that because of the Administrative Representative a Secretary and/or Treasurer are unnecessary positions. It was the general consensus to keep the Officer Positions as in the draft bylaws. Frequency, Day and Time of Meetings: Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin stated this is completely up to the board to decide based off their schedules. She stated the only legal requirement after this meeting is having one more meeting within 90 days of the certification of election and to complete a report at the end of their term or by November 2026 to go in that election. She stated special meetings to request public participation can always be called on top of the regularly scheduled meetings. It was the general consensus for the meetings to be quarterly, the thirds Thursday at 5:30pm. Agenda Structure: Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin stated she recommends keeping the agenda structure as it is. She stated the current structure not only allows for easy workflow, but guarantees the opportunity for public and committee participation. In discussion it was agreed to keep the agenda structure the same as provided. Motion was made to approve the bylaws as drafted and with the changes discussed for the Local Government Review Board. Motion made by Mayer, Seconded by Whiteman. Voting Yea: Sergent, Whiteman, Mayer c. Draft Budget for Approval of Sidney City Council Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin presented a draft budget that the LGRB will need to review and approve. She stated after approval it will go before the City Council for final approval. She stated the board will notice that there is no payment allocated for the staff member who will be the administrative representative. She stated the board could "hire" herself to do this position but ask the City Council to approve these duties be done as part of her job as the Clerk/Treasurer's position, meaning her pay will come from the City The City of Sidney is an equal opportunity provider.  budget as normal and since she is a salaried position it would not increase the liability of the city. Mayor Norby added this is a common practice to do. Motion was made to approve the hiring of Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin as the Administrative Representative and request to have it be a part of her routine duties with the City Council. Motion made by Whiteman, Seconded by Mayer. Voting Yea: Sergent, Whiteman, Mayer Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin stated as for the rest of the budget, it was drafted to remain as simple as possible and as long as the Board remains within the max allocation of the $31,000 for the next two years, they can amend the budget as needed. She also provided training cost and information from the Local Government Center beyond the first in person training and recommended the LGRB approve purchasing the Gold Start Package to ensure they have all they need to complete the review study. Motion was made to approve the draft budget and present it to the City Council for approval. Motion made by Mayer, Seconded by Whiteman. Voting Yea: Sergent, Whiteman, Mayer d. Registration for December 10th, 2024 in person training Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin stated she will complete the registration for those who are able to attend the in-person training on December 10th, which she and the Local Government Center highly recommend attending. Mr. Whiteman stated he will be out of town, but Mrs. Sergent and Mr. Mayer are available for the training. Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin stated she will provide the training materials to Mr. Whiteman as soon as they are available. e. Adopt a timetable that will be published in the newspapers (can be tabled until 2nd meeting, must be completed within 90 days of Certification of Election) Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin stated the timetable does not have to be approved at this meeting, but she does have a draft one available for them to review and have. She stated the timeline is kept simple because after taking care of the house keeping decisions, the timeline is simple, to review the form and powers of the local government. It was recommended to add the first regular meeting date and when they will be meeting quarterly to the timetable. Motion was made to approve the time table as amended. The City of Sidney is an equal opportunity provider.  Motion made by Mayer, Seconded by Whiteman. Voting Yea: Sergent, Whiteman, Mayer f. Elect Permanent Officers (can be tabled until 2nd Meeting after training) Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin stated the election of the permanent officers can wait until the next meeting, the Temporary Presiding Officer will just continue with their duties until it is completed. Motion was made to elect Janet Sergent as the Presiding Officer. Motion made by Mayer, Seconded by Whiteman. Voting Yea: Sergent, Whiteman, Mayer Motion was made to elect Wade Whiteman as the Vice President. Motion made by Mayer, Seconded by Whiteman. Voting Yea: Sergent, Whiteman, Mayer 3. Old Business Nothing. 4. Questions/ Comments from Public Nothing. 5. Questions/ Comments from Board Mr. Mayer asked if the Local Government Center online 6-week course is at set times or at their own leisure and Clerk/Treasurer Chamberlin stated she is not sure, more information will be available at the in person training, but she hopes at their own leisure. 6. Adjournment at 5:59 pm. The City of Sidney is an equal opportunity provider.