FILING INFORMATION

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ELECTION DATES

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Important Information from the
Great Falls City Charter

Excerpts from the Great Falls Montana City Charter…….

City Commission - Composition
The City Commission shall be composed of five voting members: four city commissioners and the mayor. The city commission shall be the legislative and policy-making body of the City of Great Falls.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Adopt policies and procedures and enact ordinances and resolutions as necessary for the proper execution of governmental functions and responsibilities.
• Appoint and supervise, and may remove, the city manager.
• Adopt an annual budget, levy taxes and special assessments, and may borrow money and issue bonds subject to Montana law.
• Appropriations, exclusive of bond and loan indebtedness, shall not exceed anticipated revenue.
• Adopt as necessary an administrative and personnel code and/or policies.
• Adopt procedures for contracting with private and public agencies.
• Appoint citizens to boards, councils, committees or any other body or group pursuant to law.
• Set the salary of city commission and the mayor by ordinance.

The Mayor - Election of the Mayor
The mayor shall be elected for a term of two years.
The mayor shall meet all requirements and qualifications for election to the office of city commissioner.

Powers and Duties of the Mayor

• The mayor shall be recognized as the official head and representative of the City for the purpose of presiding at city commission meetings and the performance of ceremonial functions. These functions shall not be construed as conferring upon the mayor executive, personnel, or administrative powers or functions.
• The mayor shall serve as a member of the commission with all the rights and privileges of city commissioners. The mayor shall possess no veto over actions taken by the city commission.

Elections and Vacancies

• City commissioners and the mayor shall be residents and qualified electors of the City of Great Falls.
• Elections for city commissioners and for the mayor shall be non-partisan.
• City commissioners shall be elected for a term of four years and the mayor shall be elected for a term of two years. Except in the case of a previous vacancy, two commissioners and the mayor shall be elected every two years. City commissioners and the mayor shall take offices the first Tuesday after January 1st in the year following the election.
• City commissioners and the mayor shall be nominated and elected at large.

Open Government
All records of the City, including the city commission and all boards, councils, committees, and commissions, shall be open to the public as provided by Montana law. All meetings of such bodies shall be publicly announced in advance and shall be open to the public as provided by Montana law.

Citizen Involvement
The city commission may establish and appoint persons to boards, councils, committees, commissions, and other bodies of an advisory or substantive nature to assist the commission in the exercises of its duties. The City of Great Falls encourages citizens to participate in these bodies by serving as members, attending meetings, or other similar methods.

Neighborhood Councils

• Purpose: The councils shall act in an advisory capacity to the City Commission, the City Manager and to other City advisory bodies, and may contribute information, opinions, advice, suggestions and recommendations to the City Commission, City Manager and other City advisory bodies on all governmental affairs and services having an effect on the area the neighborhood council represents, including, but not limited to, public finance, public works, public safety, planning and zoning, and public health and sanitation.
• Composition of Neighborhood Districts: Composition of Councils; Election: The City Commission shall, by ordinance, divide the City of Great Falls into no less than nine (9) and no more than thirteen (13) neighborhood council districts. The residents of a district shall comprise the electorate for that district. Each district shall have a council comprised of five (5) members; elected to a two (2) year term at the election held in conjunction with the City general election. Nominees for election to a neighborhood council must be residents of their designated neighborhood district.
• Open Meetings and Right to Know: All meetings of the neighborhood councils shall be open to the public. All records maintained by the council shall be available for public inspection.

Municipal Court Judge
There shall be one Municipal Court Judge elected to a four year term pursuant to Title 3, Chapter, 6, MCA. The qualifications of a Municipal Court Judge shall be as required by Montana law to include: the same qualifications as a judge of District Court as set forth in Article VII, Section 9, of the Montana Constitution except a Municipal Court Judge need only be admitted to the practice of law in Montana for at least two years prior to the date of the election; and, a Municipal Court Judge shall be a resident and voter in the City of Great Falls at the time of his or her election; and, a Municipal Court Judge shall be certified as provided in MCA 3-1-1502 to 3-1-1503, prior to assuming office.

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NOMINATION FORMS

Prior to running for office, a nomination form must be completed. The forms are available below or from the County Election Office. Once the form is completed it must be returned to the Cascade County election office during the filing period. See Filing Information for more information.

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