Laurel Considers Measure to Halt Annexations, Potentially Blocking State Mental Hospital

Before they were against it, Laurel leaders expressed support for psychiatric hospital

Before at least one state legislator was against a state psychiatric facility in Laurel, he was for it. And despite accusations of the community of backroom deals and discussions by Laurel’s city leaders, a meeting in October showed that many…

Laurel considers measure to halt annexations, potentially blocking state mental hospital

Laurel is weighing an emergency ordinance that would pause all annexation applications for up to 90 days, a move that could block a state-proposed 32-bed mental health facility from moving forward.Q2 News obtained a draft of the proposed moratorium on annexation applications. The emergency ordinance would stop all annexation requests including one expected from the state, which has announced plans to build the mental health facility in Laurel.Th…

Rage, suspicion, fear: Why Laurel’s ultra-organized residents are determined to stop a new state psychiatric facility

Locals in the small Montana town are indignant about how an unwanted development came to their backyard. Some are refusing to be pushed aside.

Rage, suspicion, fear: Why Laurel's ultra-organized residents are determined to stop a new state psychiatric facility

LAUREL — On a Tuesday afternoon in early March, a group of neighbors stood at the end of their residential street at the edge of town. As they chatted, they stared steadily at the sun dropping low over an adjacent 114-acre parcel of land.  Dogs lolled on the ground, nudging tennis balls suggestively at their owners’ feet. One of the neighbor’s children, a 5-year-old girl with a sequined heart on her shirt, played nearby. The day was winding down…

Everyone agrees Montana needs more state psychiatric beds, no one in Laurel wants them there

An artist's rendition of what a state psychiatric facility would look like. That facility is being proposed in Laurel, Montana. These building renderings were presented to state legislators on March 9, 2026 (via Montana Legislature, Children, Families and Public Health Committee). LAUREL — To understand the controversy surrounding locating a psychiatric hospital in Laurel, city officials have heard hours and hours of testimony objecting to the c…