Montana Association of Counties

07/01/2026

MACo President Gordon Oelkers and Deputy Director Jason Rittal had the distinct and humbling honor of representing our association at the dedication ceremony for the new John V. Ostlund Building in Yellowstone County this week.

The quiet gathering brought together family and local leadership to officially name the building after our late past president and long-time commissioner. It was a profound moment to step back and reflect on John’s decades of unwavering public service, his mentorship, and the massive heart he poured into Montana's counties.

We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity to honor his memory.

Local news provided a look inside the dedication. Check it out here: https://billingsgazette.com/news/article_712e6785-bcac-4199-86fd-a85b4a38861e.html

Read more about the facility’s purpose here: https://www.kulr8.com/news/ostlund-building-in-billings-to-enhance-county-services-honor-legacy-of-late-county-commissioner-john/article_5a6c91ee-a67b-46fd-87e4-6bac6d03e3c0.html

06/30/2026

Congrats to Custer County for their 2026 National Association of Counties' Achievement Award! This national recognition honors county programs that find innovative, cost-effective solutions to better serve their communities.

Staffing hard-to-find positions and funding specialized departments is an ongoing challenge across Montana. With the help of multiple grant monies, the County confronted this obstacle by successfully integrating Disaster and Emergency Services, GIS Management, and Zoning Administration into one unified, cross-functional program.

Partnering with their local community college for specialized training and the Montana State Library for technical backing, their localized team achieved incredible milestones:

🚑 NextGen 9-1-1: Increased emergency dispatch data validation from 30% to a 99.98% accuracy rate—securing reliable emergency routing for Custer, Garfield, and Prairie counties.

🗳️ Elections: Decreased their previous timeline for making complex, state-mandated redistricting maps from more than six months down to just two weeks. (Updating records took a little more time—significantly less than before.)

🗺️ Rural Infrastructure Tracking: Digitized and mapped critical rural infrastructure, including addresses, roads, bridges, culverts, and cattleguards (resulting in improved road management); coal seams (showing potential fire risks); and w**d mitigation zones (increasing efficiencies).

The benefits from the GIS program continue to develop and save the county time and money.

Their integrated workflow can now serve as a template for counties nationwide looking to optimize their operations.

Congratulations to Custer County and everyone involved in this outstanding achievement! 🙌🙌🙌👏👏👏

12/16/2025

The new year is almost here...

Reviewing certain county duties and requirements is good practice, and the first Commission meeting in January is an ideal time to establish policies and guidelines for the year. Thus, we present MACo’s annual “New Year’s Resolutions & Reminders.”

11/13/2025

The Montana Association of Counties is joining forces with the Local Government Center to present our annual Elected County Officials training, December 10-12. The program varies from year-to-year, but the purpose remains the same: Be both educational and engaging while providing practical insights and tools for your work in county government.

Just us here:

The Montana Association of Counties is joining forces with the Local Government Center to present our annual Elected County Officials training December 10th through December 12th. The program varies from year-to-year, but the purpose remains the same: Be both educational and engaging while providing...