The process to hand over to Jefferson County at least part of the former Montana Developmental Center is “moving forward,” Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney told local officials while touring the facility Oct. 9.
The State of Montana owns the 60-acre property, parts of which are managed by the Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The latter agency is wrapping up a months-long, two-phase survey to determine who owns which parcels and identify which ones are state trust lands.
It’s the state trust lands that add complexity to any transfer of property, because the DNRC manages their “timber, surface, and mineral resources for the benefit of the common schools and the other endowed institutions in Montana,” according to the DNRC website. The state first must find land of equal or greater value elsewhere in the state to propose a swap, Cooney said, noting that what follows then is “not a simple process,” requiring public hearings, periods for comment and the involvement of the State Board of Land Commissioners, which consists of Montana’s five top elected officials.
