Bozeman City Commission Regular Meeting – April 21, 2026

The Bozeman City Commission met on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Commission Room at City Hall. The meeting included approval of amended minutes from December 16, 2025, a consent agenda of seven routine items, a mayoral proclamation for Arbor Day, two special presentations (economic impact of Yellowstone Fiber and IT operations), and a unanimous vote to enter a cooperative agreement with the Ukrainian municipality of Kopychyntsi. Commissioners also discussed interim zoning, a request from Montana Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar, and various community FYIs.

Consent Calendar

• Items G.1–G.7 approved 5-0 without public comment:
  • G.1 Accounts Payable Claims Review and Approval
  • G.2 Task Order 11 with Sanbell for Mendenhall Sanitary Sewer Replacement (5th–7th Avenue)
  • G.3 Annual Montana State Historic Preservation Office Certified Local Government Program Grant
  • G.4 Rejection of all bids for Water Reclamation Facility Solar Generation Project (to be rebid later)
  • G.5 Gran Cielo Phase 3 Major Subdivision Preliminary Plat – subdividing 4 lots into a 42-lot subdivision for single-family and townhouse/rowhouse uses (Quasi-Judicial)
  • G.6 Resolution of Intent to Create Special Improvement Lighting District 797 for Urban + Farm Phase 2
  • G.7 Resolution of Intent to Create Special Improvement Lighting District 798 for South Range Crossing Subdivision (SRX) Phase 4

Public Comments & Testimony

• Marilee Brown (resident outside city limits) urged the commission to request an expanded environmental study for the Airport Authority’s expansion, noting the study only considers airport property and has a comment deadline of Thursday, April 23 (midnight). She asked commissioners to also notify the county commission.
• John Meyer (homeowner) criticized the commission for not holding a public conversation about a moratorium on development, accusing Deputy Mayor Fischer of avoiding the topic. He also claimed Commissioner Bode failed to disclose a relationship with a paid lobbyist who testified against an affordable housing initiative, and called for systemic changes to affordable housing in Bozeman.
• Owen Minton (MSU senior, renter) urged the city to evaluate adopting ASHRAE Standard 189.1 for municipal projects to improve building sustainability, water use efficiency, and indoor environmental quality.
• Mary Bateson (resident) requested that the commission publicly discuss interim zoning options to temporarily halt large developments and demolitions in the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) until its update is complete and a new historic preservation officer is hired.
• Leisher (MSU senior) praised the new wetlands ordinance as “the most progressive in Montana” but asked the commission to enforce the mitigation hierarchy (on-site first, then local credits, then distant credits) to avoid developers purchasing credits 90 miles away at Twin Bridges.
• Macy Schmidt (MSU senior) opposed House Bill 664 (2025), which repealed numeric nutrient standards for Montana rivers. She urged the commission to support petitions reinstating numeric standards to protect water quality and aquatic habitats.
• Commissioner Brad Molnar (Montana Public Service Commission, District 2) gave a 10-minute presentation asking the City Commission to send a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by April 30, 2026. He argued that Northwestern Energy is transferring 370 MW of low-cost coal-fired electricity (from Colstrip Units 3 & 4) from rate-based to market-based, which would allow Northwestern to sell that power to a data center rather than to Montana retail customers. He stated the energy is valued at $300 million by the state, but Northwestern’s FERC filing values it at zero. A letter of support for reconsideration would help protect ratepayers and reduce property taxes. He noted he and Commissioner Puccinelli are intervening without commission funding.

Discussion Items

1. Approval of Minutes (F.1) – Commissioners debated two amendments to the December 16, 2025 minutes. The first amendment (pass 4-1) required listing all eight speakers in favor and eleven opposed to the 90-foot B3 height increase, including the five who cited the affordable housing ordinance. The second amendment (fail 1-4) would have recorded Deputy Mayor Fischer’s desire for robust public discussion and Commissioner Madgic’s desire for a work session on the height issue. The minutes as amended were approved 5-0. City Attorney Sullivan noted the city’s policy designates the video as the official record; minutes only record actions, not verbatim discussion.
2. Mayoral Proclamation – Arbor Day (I.1) – Mayor Morrison proclaimed Friday, April 24, 2026, as Arbor Day and encouraged citizens to plant trees. City Forester Alex Nordquest noted tree-planting events at Boulder Creek Park and Westbrook Park on Friday from noon to 3 PM.
3. Special Presentation: Yellowstone Fiber Economic Impact (J.1) – Grace Gilbreth (Project Director, NRMEDD) presented an economic impact analysis showing the Yellowstone Fiber network generated over $135 million in total economic activity across three study periods (2015, 2022-2024, projected 2022-2027) and supported more than 1,400 jobs, with over 80% of value retained locally. She highlighted the open-access model, local control, and $105 million in total investment (initially catalyzed by $4 million in local bank financing secured by early city leadership and 12 public land easements). The network serves as a model for other communities.
4. Special Presentation: IT Operations (J.2) – IT Director Scott McMahan described the department’s four focus areas: cybersecurity (currently a shared role), application support, systems administration, and help desk. He noted support for over 30 city departments, 110 servers, 650 network devices, and a help desk that addressed over 2,000 tickets in 2025. He warned of an uptick in phishing scams targeting the development community, using city logos and demanding wire payments. He also announced email domain changes from @bozeman.net to @bozemanmt.gov and the website change to bozemanmt.gov effective April 27, 2026.
5. Action Item: International Territorial Cooperation with Kopychyntsi, Ukraine (K.1) – Economic Development Manager Brit Fontenot presented a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign a non-binding agreement with Kopychyntsi (Ternopil Region, Ukraine) through the Cities4Cities initiative. The partnership focuses on four pillars: economic development, governance, education/schools, and veterans services. Fontenot noted existing relationships, including a sculpture by Jim Dolan (“Mustang”) standing in Kopychyntsi’s main square. Mayor Bogdan Kelichavyi joined via video and expressed support, noting that two Bozeman volunteers have stayed in Kopychyntsi and created a family. The resolution passed unanimously 5-0 without public comment.
6. FYI / Discussion (L) – Commissioner Sweeney requested future discussions on: (a) writing a letter to FERC regarding Commissioner Molnar’s request, with a deadline of April 30; (b) interim zoning to pause large developments in the NCOD during its update. Commissioner Bode supported examining the FERC letter and noted the airport expansion’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions (the airport sector is the fastest-growing in Bozeman’s inventory). Deputy Mayor Fischer and Commissioner Bode both expressed interest in the FERC letter. City Manager Winn noted staff would investigate the airport’s environmental study involvement.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes of December 16, 2025 approved (5-0) after first amendment passed (4-1) to list all public comment positions on the B3 height issue; second amendment failed (1-4).
• Consent Items G.1–G.7 approved unanimously (5-0).
• Arbor Day Proclamation issued.
• Resolution for partnership with Kopychyntsi, Ukraine approved (5-0). Next step: potential delegation visit to Bozeman in fall 2026.
• No formal action taken on the PSC/FERC letter request; staff will explore feasibility and may place on a future agenda.
• No formal action on interim zoning; Commissioner Sweeney’s request for a public discussion noted.
• City Manager announced: (a) installation of over 400 stop signs at 328 uncontrolled intersections, to be completed by 2029; (b) a turbidity monitoring violation at the Water Treatment Plant due to a monitor left in calibration mode for 28 hours – no effect on water quality, but a public notice will be issued; (c) the 2026 National Community Survey is open until May 5.
• IT department warned of phishing scams targeting developers and announced domain changes effective April 27.