What are Governing Powers?
Sources of Municipal Authority in Montana: Constitution, Law, Charter, and Interpretation
A municipality’s governing power is its authority to act in order to carry out the lawful functions of a municipal government. In Montana, a municipality’s authority to exercise governing power is derived from: (1) the state constitution; (2) enabling legislation; (3) a voter approved self‐government charter; and (4) the interpretation of these sources of authority by the courts and by the opinions of the state’s attorney general.