Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB159: Revise rural improvement district laws to include maintenance of existing public improvements
Status: Signed into law, April 7, 2025
What the bill says
An act revising rural improvement district laws; allowing for a district to be created for the maintenance of existing public improvements; allowing for a petition to create a district for the purpose of maintaining existing improvements; removing the requirement for a petition when all owners of property within the area of a proposed rural improvement district have waived their right to protest the creation of the district; and amending sections 7-12-2102, 7-12-2103, 7-12-2105, and 712-2113, mca.
From the engrossed text:
AN ACT REVISING RURAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT LAWS; ALLOWING FOR A DISTRICT TO BE CREATED FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF EXISTING PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS; ALLOWING FOR A PETITION TO CREATE A DISTRICT FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAINTAINING EXISTING IMPROVEMENTS; REMOVING THE REQUIREMENT FOR A PETITION WHEN ALL OWNERS OF PROPERTY WITHIN THE AREA OF A PROPOSED RURAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT HAVE WAIVED THEIR RIGHT TO PROTEST THE CREATION OF THE DISTRICT; AND AMENDING SECTIONS 7-12-2102, 7-12-2103, 7-12-2105, AND 712-2113, MCA. Section 1. Section 7-12-2102, MCA, is amended to read: "7-12-2102. Authorization to create rural improvement districts -- property owners may petition for creation. (1) Whenever the public interest or convenience may require, the board of county commissioners may order and create special improvement districts outside of the limits of incorporated towns and cities for the purpose of maintaining existing public improvements or building, constructing, or acquiring by purchase one or more of the improvements of the kind described in 7-12-4102, in or for the benefit of the special improvement district. (2) (a) Except as provided in subsection (2)(b), the board of county commissioners may order and create a special improvement district upon on the receipt of a petition to create a special improvement district that contains the consent of all of the owners of property to be included in the district. (b) The board …