How is this not a sweet deal for Scott MacFarlane?

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He left the commission on February 17. The facilities job opened three days later.

Scott MacFarlane resigned as Gallatin County Commissioner for District 3 in the middle of his term. The resignation was official on February 3, 2026. His last day was February 17.

Three days later, Gallatin County opened a posting for Facilities Director.

The job was listed on Ladders with an opening date of February 20, 2026. Job number 00806. Department of Operations and Procurement. Full time, in person, in Bozeman. Salary: $112,756.80 to $129,500.80 a year. The posting said the director works under County Administration and represents the department to County Administration, the Board of County Commissioners, and the public.

Shortly after leaving the commission “for personal reasons,” MacFarlane was handed that job as County Facilities and Operations Director. Leaving the commission did not mean stepping back from county work. It looks like a transfer. Was it legal? The County Attorney’s office has treated it that way. Ethical? That is a different question.

Montana law is clear on the point. MCA 2-2-105 says a public officer may not, within 12 months after voluntarily leaving office, take a job in which he will take direct advantage, unavailable to others, of matters he was directly involved in while in office. The statute calls a violation of these rules a breach of the public trust.

The posting itself raises the same question. Aside from the county’s own channels and Ladders, the ad was not found on general public job sites such as Indeed or Monster. The opening date was three days after his last day as commissioner. Common sense says this was arranged before he stepped down.

When the legal text is put in front of them, some will say the county stayed inside the lines. There will be no shortage of careful wording. The timeline does not require a law degree. A sitting commissioner leaves mid-term. Three days later the facilities job opens, at a higher salary, on a narrow posting. Then he has the job.

How much of a raise is this?

County commissioners currently make $99,639 a year, according to the 2026 filing fee schedule.

In 2025 the county advertised the Director of Facilities and Operations at $87,000 to $102,000.

In 2026, as MacFarlane was moving into the job, the same position was advertised at $112,000 to $129,000.

Read the rest HERE, at the Gallatin County Republicans.

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