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September Interim Meeting Update- By Representative Matt Rosedale

 After the regular session of the 62^nd Legislature concluded, I was selected to serve on the Education and Local Government Interim Committee. As I had stated at the time, after each meeting I would be giving a report on the business that had been conducted.

     With the housing demand in Eastern Montana increasing at such a rapid rate, I scheduled an appointment with Steve Kilbreath with the Dept. of Environmental Quality, upon arrival in Helena. The DEQ is responsible for permitting all water and septic systems. I stressed the need for expedited permitting so that the developers can have a more predictable process for creating the much needed housing. They agreed to visit Eastern Montana in the near future to hold informational meetings for local officials and developers so that the process could be clarified and assured me that they would provide a two week turn around for completed applications.

      On day one of the interim, I was given the opportunity to make a presentation for the Local Government topics. We are charged with investigating “Subdivision for lease or rent”. In it’s present state the statute is “unwieldy and seemingly contradictory” as quoted from a court decision written by Judge Langton from Ravalli County. I hope to persuade the group to separate the definition of subdivision from a site plan approval so that multiple units on one site will be permitted by a process that is controlled by the county instead of the state, excluding the water and septic systems which will remain under the jurisdiction of DEQ. I further stressed the need for Eastern Montana to retain more of the revenue that we generate from oil and gas so that we are able to mitigate the broad impacts of that development.

     That afternoon we had an extensive presentation to describe the school funding sources and their history. The presentation included information on several lawsuits against the state which established the funding schedules which are in place now.  We will receive more background and history at each meeting. Anyone who deals with school funding will attest to the complex formula’s for keeping each school and department funded. I commend our Superintendents for their work.

     On day two we had presentations from several school districts and organizations. They described the challenges that each face and the methods that they have used to address them. I was very pleased to have the Sidney District represented by Dexter Thiel. He did a great job articulating the impacts of oilfield development to the schools in our region. The increase of students, more specifically those who require additional assistance, is dramatically impacting the budgets of these schools.

     Superintendent of Schools Denise Juno gave a presentation of the data collection program that the state has initiated. This program is capable of tracking the academic progress of each student individually. The compilation and evaluation of this data is the first step towards creating a system of education which recognizes and rewards the most successful teaching methods and instructors. Additionally it will help to identify areas that improvements are needed.

     I feel privileged to be representing Eastern Montana at such an exciting time. We are facing many challenges and opportunities that, if managed properly, will benefit this region for years to come. Please feel free to contact me at 406-687-3549 or mattrosendale @ midrivers.com