House bill NO. 20

INTRODUCED BY D. Fern

By Request of the Local Government Interim Committee

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT providing an appropriation TO THE MONTANA UNIVERSITY SYSTEM FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE."

WHEREAS, the Legislature created the Local Government Center in 1993 to "strengthen the capacities of Montana's local governmental units to deliver essential services efficiently and to provide training, technical assistance, and research to local officials", as provided in section 20-25-237, MCA; and

WHEREAS, counties, municipalities, and other local government entities remit fees for necessary training provided by the Local Government Center, and, due to limited staffing, the Local Government Center must prioritize between providing hands-on training and providing mandated technical assistance and publications, resulting in fewer necessary services offered to local governments or a delay in updated publications; and

WHEREAS, the Local Government Center requires an additional 2.5 FTE to adequately meet the Center's training, technical assistance, and publication requirements to fully support local government entities to govern fairly, correctly, and effectively; and

WHEREAS, to fund two full-time Associate Training and Technical Assistance Specialists and one half-time Administrative Assistant, the Local Government Center requires $240,000 for salaries and benefits, but the Center intends to maintain the current balance of state funding and local government contributions collected through fees-for-service and thus requests $190,000 from the state while intending to fund the remaining amount needed to fully support the additional 2.5 FTE with funds raised through local government contributions.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

NEW SECTION. Section 1. Appropriation. (1) The following money is appropriated from the general fund to the Montana university system to fund the local government center at the Montana state university-Bozeman extension service:

Fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023          $190,000

Fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024          $190,000

(2)        The appropriations in subsection (1) are intended to supplement base funding to the Montana state university extension service for the local government center to fund the positions of two associate specialists and one half-time administrative assistant at the local government center.

(3)        The legislature intends that the appropriation in fiscal year 2023 be considered part of the ongoing base for the next legislative session.

NEW SECTION. Section 2. Effective date. [This act] is effective July 1, 2023.