Engaging with Your Local City Council, County Commission, and School Board

Local councils and boards–including city councils, county boards, school boards, and more–are increasingly the forum where critical civil liberties issues are addressed. As a member of the community, public comments are a crucial tool for making your opinions known. Remember: local elected officials and policymakers are supposed to represent the people in their district, and it is imperative that they hear from those they represent. Many local councils and boards accept public comments from community members, and it is often possible to submit your comments in person, online, or in writing. Montana’s elected officials and policymakers must hear the needs and priorities of their constituents, and that includes you!

REMEMBER: Any testimony, whether oral or written, that you submit to a local city council or board will go in a public record that can be searched by people who want to read/see it.

Before you can share your thoughts with your local officials, you need to determine how a particular council or board accepts public comments. The easiest way to learn how your city accepts public comments is to search online for your city and “public comments,” which will usually return a city webpage with more instructions. If you’re curious about a specific board (school board, library board, county board, etc) search for that, too.

These links go directly to the public comments sections of some significant Montana councils and boards:

• Montana State Board of Public Education, including guidelines for submitting public comments.
• Billings City Council, including information about submitting public comments via mail, email, and in-person.
• Bozeman - Public Comments and Bozeman - City Commission, including how to submit public comments via mail, email, or online form, and how to attend a public meeting.
• Butte Council of Commisioners and How to Submit Online Comments, including agendas and minutes from recent meetings, online streaming of council meetings, and informtion about submitting public comments.
• Great Falls - Public Participation Guide for City Meetings, including how to provide public comments via mail, email, or in-person.
• Helena - Meetings, including information on Helena’s board and committee calendars and a form for submitting public comments.
• Kalispell Mayor & City Council, including information on attending or streaming city meetings; email public comment on agenda items or anything within the jurisdiction of the Council to publiccomment@kalispell.com.
• Missoula City Council, including how to contact the mayor and members of the city council, as well as how to attend a meeting or comment on specific city projects.
• Whitefish Mayor & City Council, including agendas and minutes from recent meetings and information about submitting comments to the city council

Attending a local council or board meeting–either in person or online–is a great way to learn more about how your local government conducts its official business.

Before you go to a meeting:

• Find out what’s on the agenda. For public meetings, you should be able to find the agenda online.
• Confirm that there is a time for public comment and what is required to sign up.
• Arrive early, complete any process for making a comment, and be prepared to speak.
• If you are part of a group taking a position on a local issue, be visible. This could mean bringing signs, wearing the same color or wearing buttons – anything that makes it clear who in the crowd is there for the same reason.
  • If you are planning to bring signs, check to see if they are permitted inside the meeting room or council chambers; you can call or email the city ahead of time to ask.

When attending a meeting:

• Remember that boards and councils may have specific codes of conduct or behavior that they expect from members of the public
• It is usually against the rules for members of the public to make noises to show that they agree or disagree with something that was said.

After attending a meeting:

• Follow up with your local officials! Reach out (via phone, email, etc) to let them know that you attended a public meeting, and then share your thoughts about what your elected officials did (or didn’t) do, and whether you support or oppose their actions.

• Be clear and concise in the message you want to convey.
  • Remember to highlight the most important issues to you. When identifying a problem, try to have a solution to share with the board or council.
• Focus on a single issue, and highlight your support or opposition in a clear, direct way.
  • Don’t try to list multiple issues the council should address.
• Be courteous, yet direct toward any elected officials or other policymakers.
  • Address your remarks to the board or council members, not to the audience, and do not respond to provocative remarks made by others.
• Be brief and to the point.
  • If submitting your comment in writing, make sure you stick to any length requirements; 500 words is always a good goal.
  • If submitting your public comments in person, check if there are any time requirements for public comments. No more than 2 minutes long is always a good goal.

REMEMBER: Any testimony, whether oral or written, that you submit to a local city council or board will go in a public record that can be searched by people who want to read/see it.

Whether you’re submitting those comments in writing or in person, you can use this three part format to help get you started.

• Give your first and last name and share some information about your connection to the community and/or issue being discussed.
  • Ex. “My name is Jane Doe and I am a concerned resident of this town/a parent of children in the school district/expert on this issue.”
• Tell them what issue you are addressing, how it has affected you, and your position.
  • Ex. “I am testifying in favor of this proposal, because the current lack of funding for reentry programs and services has made it difficult for me to find housing” or
  • “I am testifying against this proposal, because increased police presence in my neighborhood has made me and my neighbors feel less safe.”

• Tell how this impacted you, your family, or members of your community.
• Share a personal story, if appropriate and you are able to share it in public.
• Explain why the board or council’s actions might help or harm the community.
  • What do you think policymakers should do to make sure others do not have the negative experiences you did or that they do have the positive experiences you did?
  • What do you think will be helpful in dealing with the issue or problem you talked about?

• Reiterate the action you hope the council takes.
  • Ex. “Please vote in opposition to this measure”, “Please support this measure when it comes to a vote.”
• Thank the members for listening to your public comment.
  • Ex. “Thank you for your time”, “Thank you for hearing my comment today.”