WHEREAS, incorporated city limits, originally omitted from some conservation districts, have expanded into conservation district boundaries; and

WHEREAS, when a city expands its limits into the conservation district, the conservation district boundaries do not change and by operation of law that portion of the expanded city limits remains within the conservation district boundaries; and  

WHEREAS, the city limit area included within the conservation district boundary is often small; and

WHEREAS, §76-15-311, Mont. Code Ann., allows for appointing two “urban” supervisors, and requires that the appointed supervisors live within the city limits and the boundaries of the district; and

WHEREAS, it is important to Montana that urban interests and municipalities are represented in conservation districts but it is often difficult to find a candidate meeting the requirements of §76-15-311, Mont. Code Ann.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Montana Association of Conservation Districts pursue legislation allowing, the supervisors to adopt a resolution changing the structure of the board to include five elected supervisors and two supervisors appointed by incorporated municipalities within conservation district boundaries to represent urban interests, when only part of an incorporated city is within the conservation district boundaries.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, it further resolved, that the Montana Association of Conservation Districts pursue legislation allowing the municipalities to appoint urban supervisors that live within the district boundaries but not necessarily within the city limits.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Montana Association of Conservation Districts pursue legislation that the two urban supervisors appointed will represent all the municipalities within the Districts.