Governor Greg Gianforte fielded questions from county commissioners from across Montana during MACO conference. (courtesy photo)
A wide range of issues were discussed and debated by several hundred county commissioners from throughout Montana who were in Billings this week for the annual conference of the Montana Association of Counties (MACO).
On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Gianforte spoke to the commissioners, who he recognized as being those most fundamentally involved in government. Having just completed a 56-county tour of the state, Gov. Gianforte said that the issue most on the minds of Montanans is that of drugs and crime.
Housing is another looming concern, an issue which he and his administration are dealing with through a specially -appointed task force to explore the problems and potential solutions. He said that emerging as a primary barrier to affordable housing is government regulations – they account for 25 percent of the cost of a house. One state agency focusing on removing all the red tape they impose on the industry ended up removing 400 pages of regulations, said the Governor. He noted that some communities in Montana haven’t seen a new house built in 40 years.
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