Montana state Sen. Vince Ricci, a Republican whose district stretches from west Billings to the nearby town of Laurel, has spent months trying to keep track of the state’s evolving plans to develop a new psychiatric facility somewhere in his neck of the woods.

For a lawmaker used to being well-informed on state policy, it hasn’t been easy. The day after Thanksgiving, the administration of Gov. Greg Gianforte officially announced it had picked the Laurel area as the site for the 32-bed facility intended to treat mentally ill people in the criminal legal system.

“I got a call from the state warning me that, ‘Laurel’s been selected, we just want to let you know before it hits the press,’” Ricci recalled in a Tuesday phone interview.

But beyond that, the state lawmaker said, critical detail

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