Bozeman City Study Commission Meeting – May 27, 2026

This was a continuation of the May 20, 2026, meeting. The commission debated and voted on a series of amendments to the draft city charter, covering the preamble, eligibility, neighborhood associations, city boards, the municipal court, and other articles. Several motions were approved, some were withdrawn or failed, and a number of items were deferred to the next meeting. Public comment was heard on three occasions.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dan Cardi (Bozeman resident) supported the amendment requiring that only residents of a neighborhood may serve on its leadership board and the Interneighborhood Council, and suggested clarifying the language to say “residents of the neighborhood” rather than “residents of the neighborhood association.”
• Natsuki Nakamura (Bozeman resident, also on the Economic Vitality Board but not speaking on its behalf) opposed disqualifying business owners from serving on a neighborhood association’s steering committee, arguing that each association should set its own rules. She supported limiting the restriction to the Interneighborhood Council.
• Emily Twego (Bozeman resident, speaking as a private citizen) echoed Natsuki Nakamura’s comments, noting that Midtown is a mixed-use neighborhood and that the proposed restriction would be too granular and would require restructuring their bylaws.

Discussion Items

• Preamble – Addition of Human Rights (Jan) – Motion to add “human rights” between “representative democracy” and “professional management” in the last sentence of the preamble. Passed 4–1.
• Preamble – Addition of Citizen Participation (Deanna) – Motion to add “citizen participation” to the list of values. Failed for lack of a second.
• Section 2.02 – Eligibility (Carson) – Motion to change eligibility language to “only registered voters whose principal residence is in the city of Bozeman” and to have the city attorney determine whether “principal residence” or “domiciled” is legally clearer. Passed 5–0.
• Section 8.04B – Neighborhood Associations (Jan) – Motion to add “nonpartisan” before “organizations” in the membership description. Passed 4–1.
• Section 8.04B – Leadership Board and Interneighborhood Council (Deanna) – Original motion to restrict leadership to residents only. After public comment and discussion, amended to require that “a majority of leadership as defined by the bylaws must be residents of the neighborhood.” Passed 5–0.
• Section 2.05C – Interference with Administration (Carson) – Motion to delete the word “solely” from the sentence dealing with the city manager. Passed 5–0.
• Section 8.05C2 – City Boards (Jan) – Motion to add “perspectives” (plural) to the list of desired attributes and to require a review every three to five years. The review requirement was changed to a recommendation to the city commission. Passed 5–0.
• Preamble – Multiple Edits (Deanna) – Original motion to replace the preamble; after discussion, narrowed to: add “responsive” after “accountable,” and strike “strong political” before “leadership.” The human rights addition from the earlier amendment was retained. Passed 5–0.
• Preamble – Addition of Active Citizen Participation (Deanna) – Motion to add “active citizen participation” after “public engagement.” Failed for lack of a second.
• Section 4.01 – Municipal Court (Barb) – Motion to add language clarifying that the court “exercises judicial authority on behalf of the city” and “shall operate independently and separately from the legislative and executive branches of city government in exercising its judicial authority.” Passed 5–0.
• Section 1.03 – Intergovernmental Relations (Deanna) – Motion to change “shall” to “may” to preserve local discretion. Passed 5–0.
• Section 8.01 – Public Engagement (Carson) – Motion to delete “the city shall ensure” and start the second paragraph with “Public engagement is an integral part of effective and trusted government.” Passed 4–0.
• Section 8.01 – Striking Community-Based Organizations (Deanna) – Motion to replace “community-based organizations, civic and civic groups” with “residents, neighborhood associations, city boards, and local government.” Failed for lack of a second.
• Section 8.02 – Participatory Budgeting (Deanna) – Motion to strike “participatory budgeting” and add “the city may establish public engagement processes related to budgeting and capital planning” to the first paragraph. Passed 3–1.
• Section 8.02 – Adding “May Include but Are Not Limited To” (Carson) – Motion to add this phrase to the list of governmental structures. Passed 3–1.
• Section 3.04.5 – Budget Approval (Deanna) – Motion to reinsert “for its approval” in the city manager’s duties. Failed for lack of a second.
• Section 3.04.9 – Policy Development (Deanna) – Motion to change the language to “provide administrative opinions or options, analysis and information necessary to inform the policies established by the city commission.” Failed for lack of a second.
• Section 3.04.10 – Administrative Support (Deanna) – Motion to clarify that staff support must be funneled through the city manager. Failed for lack of a second.

Key Outcomes

• Approved amendments (with votes):
  • Preamble: added “human rights” (4–1).
  • Section 2.02: revised eligibility language (5–0).
  • Section 8.04B: added “nonpartisan” (4–1).
  • Section 8.04B: majority of leadership must be residents of the neighborhood (5–0).
  • Section 2.05C: deleted “solely” (5–0).
  • Section 8.05C2: added “perspectives” and made board review a recommendation (5–0).
  • Preamble: added “responsive,” deleted “strong political” (5–0).
  • Section 4.01: added judicial independence language (5–0).
  • Section 1.03: changed “shall” to “may” (5–0).
  • Section 8.01: removed “the city shall ensure” (4–0).
  • Section 8.02: replaced participatory budgeting with permissive language (3–1).
  • Section 8.02: added “may include but are not limited to” (3–1).
• Failed motions:
  • Preamble: addition of “citizen participation” (no second).
  • Section 8.01: replacement of community-based organizations (no second).
  • Section 3.04.5: reinsert “for its approval” (no second).
  • Section 3.04.9: policy development language (no second).
  • Section 3.04.10: administrative support language (no second).
  • Preamble: addition of “active citizen participation” (no second).
• Deferred items: The commission did not finish all proposed amendments; remaining items on Deanna’s list (covering Articles 6, 9, 10, and others) were postponed to the next meeting scheduled for May 28, 2026, at 4:00 PM. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 6:59 PM.