Polson city manager offers Civics 101 class

Polson City Manager Ed Meece is a self-described “government geek.” His enthusiasm for the inner workings of city government and his hope that citizens will catch the bug too is behind “Civics 101: Polson,” a class he’s teaching from 5:30-7 p.m. Oct. 29 at Polson City Hall.

The 90-minute session will offer an overview of the city’s legal origin, organizational structure, open meetings and open records laws, legislative and budget processes, as well as operational departments.

“It’s just to give people a good overview of how city government works,” Meece says. “We will cover a lot of different topics that evening but we won't be digging into the fine details.”

The class will also be recorded and posted to the city’s website for future playback.

Meece, who earned a master’s in public administration, has spent 32 years in city government, with 25 of those as a city manager. He taught a similar class during his tenure as city manager in Livingston, and believes it helped inspire people to get more involved in local government.

The city has several vacancies on advisory boards; the fire department is always looking for volunteers; and elections occur every two years for commissioners and every four years for mayor.

“I think the big win here is for citizens to understand what their role is in the local government process,” Meece said, which in turn, could spur more engagement.

The session could also provide a useful foundation for the upcoming Local Government Review Commission, which is slated to begin meeting in January. The class will “be a good way to get a baseline for anybody, whether it's a local government study commissioner or somebody who's interested in the city, local government, or how a local government review study works.”

He welcomes people of all ages, from high school students to senior citizens to attend, and promises to teach the class regardless of whether one person or 45 (the maximum allowable in the city commission chambers) show up.  

He’ll focus less on technicalities, and more on the processes and roles that help guide the day-to-day doings at City Hall.

“I think it will be fun and interesting for anybody,” he added.  

Class size is limited to 45 people, with seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact Meece at 406-883-8207 or email citymanager@cityofpolson.com.