Mont. Code Ann. § 7-11-201

It is hereby declared to be the public policy of Montana to provide for the residents of the state the means of improving their local governments so that essential services can be provided more effectively and economically. The growth of urban population, the necessity to maintain local governmental services in areas of increasing population on one hand and in areas of decreasing population on the other, and the movement of people into suburban areas have created varied problems in the provision of public services and facilities which often cannot be met adequately by individual units of local government.