The May public meeting held on the 12th featured another panel of guest speakers. Community members had asked us previously to have someone speak on the impact of incorporation on the Fire District and on the Big Sky Community Library. Experts in these areas plus the Gallatin County Planning Dept. and the Big Sky Resort Area District formed our four member panel for this month.
First up was Tom Rogers, a planner with the Gallatin County Planning Department. He started out by saying that it is the County's position that their jurisdiction for planning would end within a municipal boundary if Big Sky were to incorporate. But before a muncipality can assume this function it must develop a growth plan which, Rogers stated, would take time. Thus it's unclear whether the County's role would immediately go away and the subject requires additional investigation. Rogers went on to state, the Gallatin Canyon Big Sky Zoning District extends well beyond any proposed municipal boundary and nothing would change for this broader area. He went on to describe several advantages of having a local government more closely involved with planning as it relates to the 1996 Master Plan and the 1997 Capital Improvements Policy.
Next up was Chief Jason Revisky of the Gallatin Canyon Big Sky Rural Fire District. Jason stated that Montana law requires the provision of adequate fire suppression and emergency medical services and thus, the District would remain in place if Big Sky were to incorporate. A municipality would be free to establish its own department, but municipalities with populations under 5,000 also have the option to contract with a surrounding rural fire district. Thus if Big Sky were to incorporate the status quo in terms of both costs and services could be maintained.
Al Malinowski, Chair of the Big Sky Resort Area District, spoke next and outlined the request for an Attorney General's opinion that the Board recently submitted to Gallatin County. The request has two parts. The first outlines the impact on the existing district if a smaller interior portion of the District were to incorporate. The request makes the legal case that the unincorporated portion of the District would continue to operate as it does currently without disruption. The second part of the request concerns the relationship of the remaining District with the newly incorporated municipality and makes the legal case that the two entities could work together to assure funding for mutually beneficial activities. Steve Johnson then explained that our committee has also submitted a request for an AG opinion to confirm that a new municipality may elect to become a resort community with independent taxing authority and work with the existing resort area district. Both requests are now on the desk of Gallatin County Attorney, Marty Lambert, whose office is responsible for submitting them to the State Attorney General.
The final speaker of the night was Bob Cooper, a visiting director at the Montana State Library, who is responsible for providing resources and training to the state's local public libraries. He explained the difference between a legal public library and an independent library open to the public. The Big Sky Community Library falls in the latter category as either a special district or a municipality is required to create the first. Cooper then went on the explain the resources available to legal public libraries which include some funding, various non-financial resources, inter-library book sharing, and access to private foundation funding, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has provided many computers to libraries across the state.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 9 at 7:00 pm in the Big Sky Chapel lower level.
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