A consensus bill addressing cross-county annexation passed out of the Senate, 50-0, Wednesday and is headed to the governor’s desk.

Although the bill originally grew out of an annexation dispute between the City of Helena and Jefferson County, all parties on Wednesday praised the end result.

In its original form, SB 339, introduced by Sen. Terry Murphy, R-Cardwell, would have prevented a cross-county annexation without the permission of the affected county.

However, in March legislators and officials from Jefferson County and the City of Helena reached consensus on an amended bill.

The new language requires that any cross-county annexation have an interlocal agreement providing for a joint city-county planning board and jurisdictional equality.

“I think we’ve got a good product,” said Murphy. “It not only satisfies Helena and Jefferson County, but I think eventually as cities continue to grow there will be other instances of cities crossing county lines.”

In the future, “It will be in state law what the procedures are when they face it,” he said.

“I think the way the bill was drafted in final form — it does what we wanted to do,” said Jefferson County Commissioner Tom Lythgoe. “It gives us equal jurisdiction with annexations across the county line. I’m happy with that. That’s all I ever wanted.”

“I think it’s beneficial to us — the City of Helena and Jefferson County — for planning into the future as it relates to zoning and annexation on our north border.”

Helena City Manager Tim Burton concurred.

“I think when we sat down with Sen. Murphy, Rep. Mendenhall and Commissioner Lythgoe and other folks involved ... we worked out a real constructive approach to future land use practices that will affect Helena and Jefferson County and even Lewis and Clark County.”

“The amendments alleviate their concerns,” Burton said. “They want to be active participants in land-use decisions.”

He’s also pleased that it addresses private property rights that are a critical concern, he added.

He praised the leadership of the House and Senate for helping to get the bill passed in its current form.

“I’m sure Jefferson County and the City of Helena will sit down to figure out how to implement the bill and joint planning in Jefferson County,” should the governor sign the bill, Burton said.

Rep. Scott Mendenhall, R-Clancy, said the bill in its present form helps “people get to a place where they can work together.”

“Sometimes the legislative process helps get parties together,” he said. “I’m pleased to be part of something that sets the stage for better relationships.

“This sets the stage for a positive working relationship. This is good for the City of Helena and Jefferson County because they are neighbors on many fronts.”

In months leading up to the legislation, relationships between the two jurisdictions became strained.

A request last year by landowner Jim Paulsen seeking annexation of two lots into the City of Helena resulted in Jefferson County requesting an attorney general’s opinion and filing a lawsuit.