Stevensville council appoints Talon Ross to Ward 2 after conflict-of-interest discussion

The Stevensville Town Council appointed Talon Ross to the Ward 2 seat at a special meeting on Jan. 12, 2026, after questioning him about his work with the U.S. Forest Service and potential conflicts of interest. The council moved, seconded and voted to appoint Ross and administered the oath of office that evening.

Council members spent much of the interview on how Ross’s wildland-fire duties could affect his availability and require recusals. Ross told the council he has been deployed about "2 to 4 times a year," sometimes for multiple weeks at a stretch, and said he could occasionally participate by phone or Zoom depending on assignment and connectivity. On conflicts, the presiding official warned that participation in town business while in uniform or discussing town business at the workplace is prohibited and that a council member must abstain from discussion and voting on matters that present a conflict. The presiding official also referenced federal ethics guidance during the discussion (spoken in the meeting as "5 CFR bar 26 35").

Mister Bennett moved "to consider Mister Talon Ross as the council member for Ward 2," the motion was seconded, and the council took public comment. Sue Devlin spoke in support of Ross, saying, "I am in awe of you. I am proud of you for stepping up," and urging the council to keep him in consideration despite known drawbacks such as on-call absences. The council called the question and the motion carried; councilors recorded on the transcript as voting "aye" included Council member Bailey and Councilor Smith and other councilors who voiced "aye" on the record. The council then administered the oath of office; Ross repeated the oath to "support, protect and defend" the U.S. and Montana constitutions and to discharge council duties "with fidelity." The meeting did not take additional formal actions on other items.

The council discussed several procedural and legal points: Montana law (referred to in the meeting as Montana Code Annotated, MCA) and local council rules require members to submit written requests for extended absences and can affect whether a member's office is vacated after lengthy absences. Council staff noted the town provides the Montana municipal officials handbook and an online training program for new members. Councilors also suggested that, if needed, they could reconvene a special meeting after a short delay to allow further consideration of availability or conflict issues; however, the council proceeded with an immediate appointment.

Ross’s appointment fills the Ward 2 vacancy; the council’s discussion emphasized that any votes or discussions where a conflict exists will require Ross to recuse himself. The council did not specify follow-up timelines for formal guidance from Ross’s supervisor or for written recusals; those procedural steps were noted as matters the council and the new member would need to manage going forward.