OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bozeman City Study Commission Meeting – April 30, 2026

City Commission — Thursday, April 30, 2026
BodyBozeman, Montana
SessionCity Commission
DateThursday, April 30, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:43:33

Transcript — Verbatim
0:29

I think it's kind of worked.

0:36

Welcome to Zoom.

0:37

Enter your meeting ID.

0:52

What's the issue?

0:53

Enter your participant ID followed by PAM.

1:02

You have entered the meeting as a panelist.

1:04

Attendees can now hear you speak.

1:07

This meeting is being recorded.

1:12

And I don't think we should act in here.

1:14

This is you personally?

1:16

No, no, no.

1:17

That is what the car said?

1:19

No.

2:07

Yeah, my granddaughter is graduating.

2:10

So I won't be here.

2:11

But I I can attend by uh on the seventeenth, you will be on the fourth.

2:16

I'll be here on the fourth.

2:18

On our May thirteenth, the two of us will be on Zoom.

2:22

Okay.

2:22

And I had to change the encoder.

2:24

Oh June fourteenth.

2:34

I am going to He is the best news musician out of the region.

2:43

He's really really I'll see him at a couple of boost festivals.

2:49

So it's a park.

2:51

What day?

2:52

June the fourth.

2:53

I think I have the study commission.

2:56

Tab in wrong in my calendar.

2:58

There you go.

2:58

I better put it down on four days.

3:01

Actually, I fly.

3:05

Let's do it.

3:07

Eighteenth at four.

3:08

Right now.

3:10

Not the seventeenth.

3:17

Caleb, are you ready?

3:18

Do it.

3:21

I'll call to order the Bozeman City Study Commission meeting of April thirtieth, twenty twenty-six at four PM.

3:31

If you're able, please rise for the pledge of allegiance and then a moment of silence.

3:37

You may be seated for the moment of silence if you wish.

3:44

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

3:50

And to the Republic for which it stands.

4:33

Are there any changes to the agenda?

4:39

All right, seeing none.

4:40

Oh just formally the proposed language on G one has my name on it, but that is not going to be me presenting.

4:50

Right.

4:50

I've put my name on it.

4:53

Right or wrong.

5:01

It's just to yeah, you're right.

5:08

And I guess that is technically a change to the agenda.

5:11

We're not moving anything around, but we're going to discuss neighborhood associations, advisory boards, the municipal court, and hopefully wards and districts.

5:33

So we're going to ask all those who are present in any form, whether they're present or online, if they could possibly hold their comments till each one of those moments so that when we're discussing neighborhoods, we have all the neighborhood comments in the middle of that discussion.

5:53

Same with advisory boards.

5:55

Now I realize I can't make anybody not comment on things in the beginning, but I'd like to ask you, particularly if you're going to be around for the discussion uh later on, and it's a better discussion when people are here as opposed to them making a comment and then leaving.

6:16

I'm requesting that um in this public comment, it's this is anything that's not on the agenda.

6:23

Uh and I will give comments, make sure that there are comments, comment times available in each of the substantive discussions that we're gonna have.

6:34

So is there any public comment?

6:40

Put your mic down here in this.

6:44

Yeah, we have a that's right.

6:45

We have a microphone problem.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████54%
Charter Revision█████████████████████████████35%
Procedural███████8%
Public Engagement██2%
Public Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Bozeman City Study Commission Meeting – April 30, 2026

The Bozeman City Study Commission met on April 30, 2026, at 4:00 PM to continue detailed discussions on proposed charter amendments, including neighborhood associations, advisory boards, the judicial branch, and wards/districts. The meeting included public comment, deliberation on draft language, and a vote on the judicial branch article.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the consent agenda (minutes and claims review) for the April 30 meeting by unanimous voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mary Bateson thanked the commission for clear instructions on when to comment.
  • Multiple public comments were heard on neighborhood associations, advisory boards, and wards/districts, including:
    • Alison Sweeney (city commissioner, speaking personally) raised concerns about neighborhood association membership requirements, communication burdens, and the appropriateness of allowing the Inner Neighborhood Council (INC) to set agenda items.
    • Natsuki Nakamura (Economic Vitality Board member, speaking personally) cautioned against over-prescribing neighborhood association expectations and urged respect for INC bylaws.
    • Members of the public advocated for stronger conflict-of-interest language, term limits tied to board expertise, and ensuring minority opinions are recorded in staff reports.
    • Emily Talago (Bozeman resident) shared personal experience running for city commission, highlighting the time and financial demands of at-large campaigns versus ward-based systems.

Discussion Items

  • Neighborhood Associations (Article 7): Barb and Becky presented revised language incorporating feedback from prior meetings. Key changes included removing the cap of 20 neighborhoods, emphasizing resident-led formation, and adding a requirement for INC to present formal recommendations as an agenda item. Commissioners debated the role of businesses/nonprofits, the need for two-way communication, and the appropriate level of city involvement. The commission agreed to further edits and will bring a revised version on May 20.
  • Advisory Boards (Article 7.04): Discussed proposed changes to purpose, powers, and term limits. Commissioners expressed concerns over the term “advisory only,” the need for board autonomy in setting agendas, and conflict-of-interest provisions. Mike (staff) suggested renaming “city boards” to remove the advisory connotation and recommended that the city commission retain authority to define board powers. Public comment supported term limits tied to board needs and clear conflict-of-interest rules.
  • Judicial Branch (Article 4.05): Judges Harrington and Tierney, along with Court Administrator Miranda Johnson, proposed adding a separate judicial branch article to ensure separation of powers. The commission agreed to create a new Article 4 (judicial branch) distinct from departments. A motion to adopt Article 4 as amended (including the new judicial branch location) passed unanimously.
  • Wards & Districts: Commissioners shared initial positions. Jan favored at-large with possible additional commissioners; Deanna supported seven wards with a mayor selected by the commission; Barbara preferred at-large with strong neighborhood associations; Becky leaned toward a hybrid (wards with at-large voting) but remained open; Carson favored at-large with a separately elected mayor and full-time compensation. The commission scheduled a dedicated discussion for May 13.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on Article 4 (Judicial Branch): Moved and seconded to adopt Article 4 as amended, creating a separate judicial branch article. Passed unanimously by voice vote.
  • Directives for Staff: Barb and Becky will refine Article 7 (neighborhood associations and advisory boards) based on commission and public input, with a revised draft due May 20.
  • Future Meetings:
    • May 13: Discussion on wards/districts, mayor election method, size of commission, and compensation. Also, public engagement article (Article 7) review.
    • May 20: Full charter review and final approval of all articles.
    • May 28: Public hearing on the full report and amended charter.
  • Recommendations: The commission will include a recommendation for an annual citywide town hall meeting and a review of Resolution 5323 (one-body-one-voice policy) as part of the final report.

Meeting Transcript

I think it's kind of worked. Welcome to Zoom. Enter your meeting ID. What's the issue? Enter your participant ID followed by PAM. You have entered the meeting as a panelist. Attendees can now hear you speak. This meeting is being recorded. And I don't think we should act in here. This is you personally? No, no, no. That is what the car said? No. Yeah, my granddaughter is graduating. So I won't be here. But I I can attend by uh on the seventeenth, you will be on the fourth. I'll be here on the fourth. On our May thirteenth, the two of us will be on Zoom. Okay. And I had to change the encoder. Oh June fourteenth. I am going to He is the best news musician out of the region. He's really really I'll see him at a couple of boost festivals. So it's a park. What day? June the fourth. I think I have the study commission. Tab in wrong in my calendar. There you go. I better put it down on four days. Actually, I fly. Let's do it. Eighteenth at four. Right now. Not the seventeenth. Caleb, are you ready? Do it. I'll call to order the Bozeman City Study Commission meeting of April thirtieth, twenty twenty-six at four PM. If you're able, please rise for the pledge of allegiance and then a moment of silence. You may be seated for the moment of silence if you wish. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. Are there any changes to the agenda? All right, seeing none. Oh just formally the proposed language on G one has my name on it, but that is not going to be me presenting. Right. I've put my name on it. Right or wrong. It's just to yeah, you're right. And I guess that is technically a change to the agenda.

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