Bozeman Study Commission Meeting Summary – January 28, 2026
Bozeman Study Commission Meeting Summary – January 28, 2026
The Bozeman Study Commission met on January 28, 2026, from 4:00 PM to approximately 6:04 PM to discuss proposed changes to the city charter. The Commission addressed five agenda items related to the role of deputy mayor, partisan elections, filling commissioner vacancies, other elected offices, and scheduled future discussions. The meeting included public testimony, commissioner deliberations, and votes on preliminary charter amendments.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Mary Bateson (Bozeman resident) opposed splitting the electorate into wards, arguing that commissioners should consider the whole city and that low pay discourages broad representation. She advocated for increased commissioner compensation rather than wards.
- Jim Webster (Bozeman resident) raised concerns about public notice and transparency, citing the recent UDC second reading process. He also urged the Commission to recommend restoring advisory board powers that state law has diminished.
- Daniel Carty (213 North Third, Bozeman) proposed increasing the commission to seven members, eliminating the deputy mayor, making the city attorney an elected nonpartisan position, introducing six district seats plus an at-large mayor, imposing term limits (max six years total among offices), and granting the mayor a veto overrideable by a 5-2 vote.
- Dar Armstrong (name from minutes) provided comment but no transcript details; position not recorded.
- Emily Talago (Bozeman resident, remote) supported nonpartisan elections and argued that commissioner pay should be a livable wage rather than part-time/full-time designation. She suggested that filling vacancies can include additional criteria under state law.
- Lara Grochowski (final public comment) questioned the extent of state control over local decisions and requested data on voter turnout for special elections; Ex Officio Mike Maas noted that the 2020 parks and trails district election had about 27% turnout.
Discussion Items
- Deputy Mayor Position (Section 2.03(b)): Commissioners supported eliminating the deputy mayor role. Commissioner Taylor noted the current system (elected mayor serves as deputy for first two years) causes confusion and limits intergovernmental relations. Commissioners Franks, Campbell, Strout, and Cestero agreed. The discussion also addressed creating a mayor pro tem to serve when the mayor is incapacitated. After debate about proper notice, a motion to eliminate the deputy mayor and draft a process for a mayor pro tem passed 4-1 (Taylor, Franks, Cestero, Strout in favor; Campbell opposed).
- Partisan vs. Nonpartisan Elections (Section 6.01(a)): All five commissioners expressed support for retaining nonpartisan elections, citing public comment, the model city charter, and the fact that all Montana cities use nonpartisan local elections. A motion to keep nonpartisan elections passed unanimously (5-0).
- Filling Commissioner Vacancies (Section 2.06(c)): The City Attorney explained that state law (MCA 7-3-704 and 7-3-708) sets a 30-day appointment requirement but allows the charter to specify a different method. Commissioners debated the tradeoffs of special elections (cost ~$100,000–$135,000, low turnout) versus extended appointment periods. Strout proposed a 60-day window; Franks echoed the need for more time while opposing special elections; Campbell supported special elections; Taylor suggested a hybrid approach based on remaining term length. No motion was made; the item was tabled for further research and will be revisited on February 5, 2026.
- Other Elected Offices (Article IV): Commissioners unanimously agreed to keep the city attorney, police chief, and other professional positions as appointed rather than elected. They cited the need for expertise and nonpartisan professionalism. A motion to retain Section 4.03 (Legal Officer) as an appointment passed 5-0.
- Items 5 and 6 (Duties of Commissioners; Number of Commissioners and Part-time/Full-time): These items were deferred to the February 5, 2026 meeting due to time constraints.
Key Outcomes
- Motion 1 (Deputy Mayor Elimination) carried 4–1 (Approve: Taylor, Franks, Cestero, Strout; Disapprove: Campbell). Staff will draft charter language eliminating the deputy mayor and adding a process for a mayor pro tem, to be reviewed at a future meeting.
- Motion 2 (Nonpartisan Elections) carried 5–0 to retain nonpartisan elections for mayor and commissioners.
- Motion 3 (Other Elected Offices) carried 5–0 to keep Section 4.03 (Legal Officer) as an appointed position.
- Vacancy filling discussion was tabled; commissioners requested cost and turnout data for special elections and further legal analysis.
- Future Meetings: The February 5, 2026 meeting will begin with a learning session on executive structure (city manager vs. strong mayor) presented by City Manager Dan Clark, followed by resumed discussion on vacancy filling, duties of commissioners, and number of commissioners. Decisions are preliminary until the final charter draft in May 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to Zoom. Enter your meeting. Enter your participant ID followed by pound. Otherwise. You are in the meeting now. You are the first participant. Please stand by Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Loud and clear. Thanks. If you are able, please rise for the um pledge of allegiance, followed by a moment of silence for which you may be seated. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation. Liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Are there any changes to the agenda? Seeing none. Becky, I've changed my position so I can try and see you if you want to speak. But the rule should remain if I'm not noticing you just butt into the conversation, please. Okay. That sounds great. Um next is public comment. And we're going to do public comment a little differently than we usually do. We're going to start with public comment on anything within the jurisdiction of the study commission. As you know, if you've looked at the agenda, we're going to go through about six items or as many as we can of potential issues that might involve changes in the charter. And before we get to that, um that section and discussion will also have public comment. If for some reason you want to give public comment and get the heck out of here, now is the time to do it. If you want to wait for the discussion, wait for the discussion, because you don't get two bites of the apple, so to speak. So let's start off. And the other thing is when we get to the items, we're going to ask for public comment on all of them at one time before we make any decisions. Um because if we divided it into six pieces, we'd be um we'd be here forever. Um, maybe that would be a good thing, yeah. I don't know. Um it's a it's a tough agenda to get through because we have a two-hour um shot and uh and then we're done. So and then we will, if there's time at the end of the meeting, take public comment again on anything uh related to the commission. So uh if you would like to give public comment at this time, remember name and address, um, three minutes, um, and um we're happy to hear from you. Is there any public comment at this time? I did say get the heck out of here, right? I didn't say it the other way, did I? No. Mary Bateson, Bozeman resident. Thank you all for this opportunity to speak. I don't think this is part of today's topic. But to me, the most disturbing issue before you is the proposal to split the Bozeman electorate into wards. The decisions of our city commission affect all locations in this community, and commissioners need to be keeping the whole in mind. Often a person lives at one address, works across town, and recreates all over. People shop at several different stores, even several different grocery stores. People live in the whole community. For me, the most important characteristics of a candidate for any office is their experience, what they say they believe in, and how they represent themselves. Here I'm shaking.
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