Montana Title 2. Government Structure and Administration § 2-17-135. Lease or exchange of historic property

(1) A state agency, after consultation with the state historic preservation officer, shall, to the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive uses, that are not needed for current or projected agency purposes. A state agency may lease a historic property owned by the state agency to any person or organization or exchange any property owned by the state agency for comparable historic property if the state agency head determines that the lease or exchange will adequately ensure the preservation of the historic property. If the consent of the board of land commissioners is required for a property exchange, the state agency must receive approval from the board prior to completing an exchange.

(2) The proceeds of any lease under subsection (1) may be retained by the state agency entering into the lease and used to defray the costs of administration, maintenance, repair, and related expenses incurred by the state agency with respect to the property or other historic properties that are owned by, or are under the jurisdiction or control of, the state agency. Any surplus proceeds from the leases must be deposited into the appropriate fund at the end of the fiscal year in which the proceeds were received.

(3) The head of a state agency with responsibility for the management of a historic property may, after consultation with the state historic preservation officer, enter into contracts for the management of the property. A contract must contain terms and conditions that the head of the state agency considers necessary or appropriate to protect the interests of the state and ensure adequate preservation of the historic property.

(4) As used in this section, “state agency” means a department, board, commission, office, bureau, or other public authority of state government.