Title 20 Amendment: State Law Changes to Public Forum Requirements

Project Description:

A public forum is a type of public hearing that is held when a public agency, including a board, bureau, commission, department, authority, or other entity of state or local government, proposes to develop or use land in a way that does not meet the requirements of the zoning code. When such a proposal is made by a public agency, a public forum for comment on the project must be held, as described in Montana Codes Annotated (MCA) 76-2-402.

During the 2021 legislative session, the State of Montana passed House Bill 496, which revised the requirements surrounding the review of a public forum request. These revisions included the following changes:

• the review authority of public forums is moved from the local Board of Adjustment to the local governing body (City Council),
• a new requirement was added for the requesting agency to attend the public hearing.

This project aims to update the Missoula City Zoning Ordinance (Title 20) to reflect these changes.

Under the Documents tab is a general description that provides amendment language and an explanation for each suggested amendment. Amendments are shown as strike-through and underline. For reference, the City zoning code (Title 20), can be viewed online here.

Project Timeline

The Planning Board held a public hearing on April 5^th, 2022 and voted unanimously to recommend approval of staff’s proposed changes. The City Council hearing will take place on Monday, April 18, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.

Project Comment Deadline

Comments are appreciated to refine the proposed amendments. Comments will be forwarded to the City Council up until the project’s final consideration on May 2nd, 2022. Please use the Public Comment tool at the bottom of this page to provide your public comment on this project.