OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bozeman Board of Ethics Meeting, March 9, 2026

City Commission — Monday, March 9, 2026
BodyBozeman, Montana
SessionCity Commission
DateMonday, March 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:58:58

Transcript — Verbatim
0:35

We see this meeting of the personalized torture.

0:45

So it has the personalized torture tree in the colour.

0:50

Yeah, you can shoot.

1:05

When they did my left shoulder, I would have to do uh bench pressing with a wooden cane two days after server.

1:14

Yeah.

1:16

My first PC two days later.

1:23

We got ready to mom has near this real last year she did it up.

2:22

I will say that we have it for me.

2:27

Yeah.

2:27

It has been a while.

2:35

I exactly just I don't have some extent to see over one.

2:49

No.

2:54

Overly cautious.

2:55

That's what I think.

2:56

We're like, oh, you don't know how to drive.

3:00

Because you won't need to go this oh.

3:02

Got it.

3:03

See, that's when they're all switched.

3:09

And then it's always that like you go a mile and they're completely like hitting in our way.

3:15

So I can find it.

3:21

Yeah, I also hear people are okay.

3:25

I would not say that with this model generally more graphically more aggressive categories.

3:30

People used to not be here and were very friendly ways.

3:37

Right now it's do you try and use that?

3:39

Like I'll get people like doing a word.

3:43

Like um I'm just like maybe I like driving through the neighborhood.

3:47

It's like I'm going really slow.

3:48

Yeah, like you'd like inch out.

3:50

Right?

3:50

Yeah.

3:51

I noticed that here's a lot of like tree or things.

3:54

Yeah, you're like kind of like inching.

3:56

And I mean I have people like we're really annoyed, but I'm like something.

4:03

Like while I'm used to my home is much bigger.

4:05

I also like eighty percent of it is a home system totally.

4:11

Well, I also welcome to the Board of Ethics meeting.

4:17

Uh this meeting will be held both in person and also using an online video conferencing system.

4:22

You can join this meeting via video conference or via phone.

4:27

Um or you can stream it on channel one ninety or attend in person.

4:32

Uh are there any disclosures that need to be made at the beginning of the meeting?

4:39

Calling for any disclosures.

4:42

Okay.

4:43

Seeing as there are no disclosures.

4:44

Are there any changes to the agenda?

4:48

No changes to the agenda.

4:50

Are there any public service announcements?

4:55

There are no public service announcements.

5:00

Our next agenda item is the approval of the minutes from our meeting on January December.

5:10

So it's uh September 16, 2024, December 9, 2024, and February 26, 2025.

5:21

Well, we have all of those.

5:24

Sorry.

5:24

We have to approve all of those?

5:26

No, sorry, it's October 14, 2025, and December 15th, 2025.

5:31

Okay.

5:31

I move approval of those minutes.

5:35

Can you scroll down, Mike?

5:36

I don't have my agenda open, so I'm gonna have to rely on you.

5:40

Um, gotcha.

5:47

Perfect.

5:48

Okay, so we have two sets of minutes to approve from October and from December, and we have a motion to approve.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters████████████████████████████████████████40%
Charter Revision█████████████████17%
Government Ethics███████████████15%
Procedural████████8%
Ethics Training████████8%
Board Operations████4%
Public Engagement████4%
Public Safety██2%
Budget Equity Analysis█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Bozeman Board of Ethics Meeting, March 9, 2026

The Bozeman Board of Ethics convened on March 9, 2026, to approve the 2025 Annual Ethics Report, adopt meeting minutes, and advance its work plan for revising the City’s Code of Ethics. The board discussed the role of the City Charter, the structure and utility of standards of conduct, reviewed feedback on the city’s ethics training program, and divided research assignments among members.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The board unanimously approved the minutes from the October 14, 2025 and December 15, 2025 meetings.
  • 2025 Annual Ethics Report: The board unanimously approved the 2025 Annual Ethics Report, presented by City Attorney Greg Sullivan. The report summarizes the board’s activities in 2025, including code modifications and hearing procedures. The item was deemed ministerial and will be transmitted to the City Commission via their consent agenda.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public offered comment on the consent item or on any non-agenda items within the board’s jurisdiction.

Discussion Items

  • FYI Discussion / Code of Ethics Revision Work Plan: The board spent the majority of the meeting on its work plan to revise the Code of Ethics.
    • Role of the City Charter: City Attorney Greg Sullivan explained that the City Charter (adopted by voters in 2006, effective 2008) establishes the Board of Ethics and conflict of interest standards, and amendments require a vote of the people. He noted the current Bozeman Study Commission formed after a 2024 vote is drafting an alternate charter, and the board can submit suggestions by May 2026.
    • Standards of Conduct: Board member Sarah questioned the utility of the current Standards of Conduct, citing overly vague terms like “act morally” and “with propriety.” Sullivan discussed their role as an umbrella standard. Jen, a staff trainer, noted the vagueness creates good discussion in training but is difficult for employees to apply concretely. Sarah suggested restructuring them into core tenets with clear explanatory guidelines.
    • Duty to Report: Sarah proposed adding a duty to report observed unethical conduct. Sullivan strongly advised against it, calling it a “pretty big lift” and a burden on employees, noting the existing complaint procedure is sufficient.
    • Organizational Structure: The board agreed to consider consolidating code sections 580 (board establishment) and 600 (powers/duties) for clarity.
    • Gift Provision: Sullivan provided an extensive history of the gift rules, including the 2012 overhaul and the $25 and $100 thresholds. Board member Jim will lead the review of the gift section.
    • Division of Assignments: The board finalized research assignments for the next meeting: Jim will review Handling of Gifts; Sarah will review Financial Disclosure, Post-Employment, and sections F, G, H; Mark will review Section E.
    • Social Media & AI Policies: The board noted these areas are governed by separate administrative orders and personnel policies, and existing confidentiality standards were deemed sufficiently broad to apply.
  • Ethics Training Program Feedback: Greg, Mike, and Jen reported on feedback from the 2025 training cycle.
    • The training has shifted from lectures to an employee-led “ethics team” model.
    • A significant gap in robust onboarding ethics training for newly appointed board members was identified.
    • The city is exploring an online training module through the Local Government Center as a stopgap.
    • A core team (HR, Clerk’s office, Legal) will meet in April 2026 to develop an improved curriculum that balances online onboarding with interactive, in-person annual sessions.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes Approved: Unanimously approved minutes from October 14, 2025 and December 15, 2025.
  • 2025 Annual Report Approved: Unanimously approved the 2025 Annual Ethics Report for transmittal to the City Commission.
  • Work Plan Division: Board members received specific assignments to review sections of the Code of Ethics (Gifts, Financial Disclosure, Post-Employment) for the next meeting.
  • Next Meeting Scheduled: The board agreed to reconvene in May 2026 to discuss the completed research and continue the code revision process. The meeting was adjourned following a successful motion.

Meeting Transcript

We see this meeting of the personalized torture. So it has the personalized torture tree in the colour. Yeah, you can shoot. When they did my left shoulder, I would have to do uh bench pressing with a wooden cane two days after server. Yeah. My first PC two days later. We got ready to mom has near this real last year she did it up. I will say that we have it for me. Yeah. It has been a while. I exactly just I don't have some extent to see over one. No. Overly cautious. That's what I think. We're like, oh, you don't know how to drive. Because you won't need to go this oh. Got it. See, that's when they're all switched. And then it's always that like you go a mile and they're completely like hitting in our way. So I can find it. Yeah, I also hear people are okay. I would not say that with this model generally more graphically more aggressive categories. People used to not be here and were very friendly ways. Right now it's do you try and use that? Like I'll get people like doing a word. Like um I'm just like maybe I like driving through the neighborhood. It's like I'm going really slow. Yeah, like you'd like inch out. Right? Yeah. I noticed that here's a lot of like tree or things. Yeah, you're like kind of like inching. And I mean I have people like we're really annoyed, but I'm like something. Like while I'm used to my home is much bigger. I also like eighty percent of it is a home system totally. Well, I also welcome to the Board of Ethics meeting. Uh this meeting will be held both in person and also using an online video conferencing system. You can join this meeting via video conference or via phone. Um or you can stream it on channel one ninety or attend in person. Uh are there any disclosures that need to be made at the beginning of the meeting? Calling for any disclosures. Okay. Seeing as there are no disclosures. Are there any changes to the agenda? No changes to the agenda. Are there any public service announcements? There are no public service announcements. Our next agenda item is the approval of the minutes from our meeting on January December. So it's uh September 16, 2024, December 9, 2024, and February 26, 2025. Well, we have all of those.

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