WELCOME Area government

City

Great Falls celebrated its 125 anniversary last year. The city was organized as a municipal corporation in 1888, but it was founded four years earlier by Minneapolis planner Paris Gibson.

Great Falls operates under a commission/manager form of government.

The City Commission consists of a mayor, elected to a two-year term, and four commissioners who serve overlapping four-year terms. The Commission sets policy, while day-to-day operations are handled by a city manager.

The nine city departments are:

• City manager's office.
• City Attorney.
• City Planning.
• Community Development.
• Fiscal Services.
• Fire/Rescue.
• Parks & Recreation.
• Police.
• Public Works.

Each department is headed by a director.

Municipal Court is under the direction of an independently elected City Judge who is not required to report to either the city manager or the commission.

City of Great Falls/12 1st Ave. S./Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Web site.

City commission/P.O. Box 5021/Great Falls, MT 59403/Check the city's Web site for e-mail.

Mayor Michael Winters/Elected 2010; serving first two-year term, which ends Dec. 31, 2012./Businessman and retired post master./452-5679.

Commissioner Bill Bronson/Commissioner since 2008; serving first four-year term, which ends Dec. 31, 2011/Attorney/452-5921.

Commissioner Mary Jolley/Commissioner since 2008; serving first four year term, which ends Dec. 31, 2011./Certified Financial Planner/727-2829.

Commissioner Robert Jones/Commissioner since 2010; serving first four-year term, which ends Dec. 31, 2013./Rancher and retired police chief/453-5005.

Commissioner Fred Burow/Commissioner since 2010; serving first four-year term, which ends Dec. 31, 2013./Auctioneer/727-0930.

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Public safety

Emergency number is 9-1-1. Addresses and nonemergency phone numbers:

Great Falls Fire Department/105 9th St. S./727-8070.

Great Falls Police Department/112 1st St. S./771-1180.

Cascade County Sheriff's Office/3800 Ulm North Frontage Road/454-6820.

Great Falls office of the Montana Highway Patrol/3800 Ulm North Frontage Road/453-1121.

Cascade County

Three elected county commissioners govern the operations of Cascade County through 11 departments and offices. The commissioners represent the people of Cascade County on other boards and governing bodies and establish personnel policies. They hold public hearings for official county business and consider applications for funding from community agencies, county departments and elected officials. Many county department heads also are elected by the public. Web site.

Courthouse/415 2nd Ave. N./454-6811/Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

County commission

Cascade County Courthouse Annex, 325 2nd Ave. N.

Joe Briggs/454-6815.

Peggy Beltrone/454-6814.

Bill Salina/454-6816.

Clerk and recorder/Rina Fontana Moore/Tribune Plaza Building/121 4th St. N. Suite 1B-1/454-6800.

County treasurer/Jess Anderson/Tribune Plaza Building, 121 4th St. N. Suite 1B-1/454-6850.

County attorney/John Parker/121 4th St. N. Suite 2A/454-6915.

Cascade County sheriff-coroner/David Castle/3800 Ulm N. Frontage Road/454-6820.

Montana state officials

Governor Brian Schweitzer/Montana State Capitol Building, P.O. Box 200801, Helena MT 59620-0801/406-444-3111/Web site.

Lieutenant Governor John Bohlinger/Montana State Capitol Building, P.O. Box 200801, Helena, MT 59620-1901/406-444-3111/Web site.

Congress

Max Baucus (D)/511 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510/202-224-2651/E-mail.

Jon Tester (D)/724 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510/202-224-2644/E-mail.

Denny Rehberg (R)/2448 Rayburn HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515/202-225-3211/E-mail.