Government in Many Forms

Forms of Government - Resources for a Deeper Dive

Use the back arrow in your browser to return to the course after reviewing the handbooks or after reading the various MCA references.

Montana Municipal Officials’ Handbook

Please review Chapter 1.3 of the Montana Municipal Officials’ Handbook created by the Local Government Center at Montana State University (2019).

Although the handbook focuses on municipal government, the Commission and Commission-Manager form of government are the primary structures found in county government.

Montana County Board Handbook

A Guide to Serving on Boards, Districts, Commissions and Committees, 2022 Edition

This updated Handbook contains five sections.

1. The first section contains a summary of the principal boards in Montana, explanation of general board statutes, use of resolutions guiding boards, and statutes pertaining to special districts.
2. The second section presents information on how to serve on a board with short summaries of pertinent laws in Montana including open meetings, code of ethics, nepotism, discrimination, wrongful discharge, ex parte consultations, and board liability.
3. Section three offers guidelines for conducting board meetings with an emphasis on parliamentary procedure, ground rules, facilitator competencies, and use of by-laws.
4. The fourth section addresses leadership and team building techniques.
5. Last, section five describes each board in terms of creation, purpose, membership, authority, and funding with citations for the appropriate title, chapter and part of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA). 

Principal Statutes Related to Forms of Local Government

1. Article XI, section 3, Constitution of the State of Montana.
2. Title 7 Local Government, Chapters 1-3

Next, you will test your new knowledge with some brief activities.