Bozeman BID Board Meeting: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Draft Review – February 18, 2026
Bozeman BID Board Meeting: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Draft Review – February 18, 2026
Note: The transcript of the meeting refers to the date as "Wednesday, February eighth," but the meeting was scheduled for February 18, 2026 per the official record. This summary uses the February 18, 2026 date as provided.
The Bozeman Business Improvement District (BID) Board met to review the first draft of the fiscal year 2027 budget. The board discussed the proposed assessment rate, various line items, and future planning in light of the upcoming Urban Renewal District (URD) sunset in 2032. No formal votes were taken; the board will consider approval at a rescheduled March board meeting.
Discussion Items
- Proposed Assessment Rate for FY2027: Emily presented a suggested assessment of $295,000, a 5% increase over the FY2026 amount of $280,000. She provided examples of alternative rates. The board expressed general support for the 5% increase, with members noting it was a "business as usual" scenario.
- Budget Line Items: Key changes included:
- 8% increase in the management fee for the Downtown Bozeman Partnership, attributed to a new bookkeeper and general cost increases.
- Slight increase in payroll expenses due to plans to be fully staffed.
- No proposed spending for the Downtown Safety Program this fiscal year; the $15,000 earmarked remains for potential partnerships with the police department, but a full resource officer position is not imminent.
- Holiday lights reserve fund: Focus shifting from repairing "spiders" to replacing garland and bows. Additional funds for banner replacement and rebranding (new colors/logo) were discussed.
- New line item for hazmat cleanup (human waste) previously covered under maintenance supplies.
- Vehicle insurance: $16,000 payout due to an accident, but annual premium expected to be ~$7,600.
- Flower Baskets Performance: The board discussed the poor flower basket survival last year, attributed to soil compaction and fertilizer issues. Oak Gardens, the contractor, is aware and plans to use fresh fertilizer and address compaction.
- URD Sunset and Future Role of BID: Staff noted that the URD sunsets in October 2032, and the BID may need to step up to fund some URD programs. The city is willing to collaborate, and consultants will be sought to develop scenarios. The BID is not restricted to "clean and safe" programs; it could support marketing, operations, or a revolving loan fund.
- Downtown Improvement Projects:
- Bozeman Creek Vision Plan: Consultants from Port are conducting outreach.
- EHO Peace Park: Construction is ongoing; ribbon cutting planned for August 14, 2026.
- Downtown Special Improvement Lighting District (SILD): Renewal process begun for a district from the 1940s to fund pedestrian light maintenance.
- Parking: Consultant Indigo West conducting surveys; an RFP for a parking public-private partnership is being developed, with potential expansion of the URD to include the federal building.
- Staff Updates: Chris McGoffin, a new maintenance staff member, started. Marketing and branding efforts will be discussed with the DBA (Downtown Bozeman Association).
Key Outcomes
- The board will vote on the FY2027 budget at the rescheduled March board meeting (tentatively March 25, 2026) after public notice. No action was taken at this meeting.
- The board agreed to continue exploring the Downtown Safety Program, but no immediate spending is planned.
- Staff will coordinate with the city clerk to confirm room availability for the March 25 meeting.
- The BID budget presentation will be on the City Commission calendar for May 12, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Are we on the back? All right. We'll go ahead and call the meeting to order Wednesday, February eighth. Emily's got a new script that we're supposed to read prior to meetings. Okay. So here we go. Thanks for joining us. Before we start the meeting, I'd like to remind folks of a couple of things to make it easier for you to follow along and make public comment. You can watch us in real time in several ways. Intend in person in the commission room, stream us live from your computer from the meeting's video page. Click the link to register and follow the prompts to enter the meeting. Lastly, you can call in to listen. You'll find the phone number for the video conference and access code on the agenda. Please note this is for listening only, and you will be unable to get verbal public comment using this method of participation. You can make your public comment in here in the commission room, joining us through video conference. And you can always provide a written comment before the meeting by sending an email to comments at Bozeman. First, followed by those joining via video conference. New script to read for all the supposed to memorize it. We should report it. No, they should do that for a while. That's smart. I'll work on it. I'll perfect it. Whole one page. I only that name. Every every public meeting. Yeah, we'll do this. And I even have abbreviated that some of it on my own. Here we go. AI read it. All right. On to the regular agenda. Go ahead. Great. Are there any disclosures from the board? Any changes to the agenda? No. Public service announcements. Approval of minutes. We will have a big batch of minutes to approve at the next meeting. I have now the minutes maker software. So like a year, years worth of minutes to approve. Consent agenda, we have none. Public comments. This is a time to comment on any non-agenda matter falling within the scope of the BID. Are there any public comments online? Please raise your hand. No, okay. We will be looking at the first draft of our fiscal 2027 budget today. If we are ready to approve it at the next board meeting, but if not, we will have time to look at it a couple more times and approve it no later than the APO board meeting.
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