HomeMy WebLinkAboutHappel Goals Memo to PB-121215 MEMORANDUM
TO: Bozeman Planning Board Members
FROM: Henry Happel
SUBJECT: Work Session on the Board's Goals and Objectives for 2021
DATE: December 15, 2020
The Bozeman Community Plan 2020 has now been approved by the City
Commission and published. This brings to a close our most intensive and significant
activity of the last several years. It also is the beginning of the City's efforts, and ours,to
see that the Community Plan is implemented in a wise and careful fashion. It is an
opportune time for this Board to give more thought to our intentions in helping to shape
planning in the City and in the Gallatin Valley.
We will hold two Board meetings to address this issue, of which our meeting on
December 21 will be the first. It will be an informal group discussion,a brainstorming
session,an opportunity for each of us to express some views on our goals and objectives
for the next year. The second meeting will hopefully bring our discussions to fruition
with the passage of one or more motions setting forth our intentions.
Our role is that of an advisory body to the City Commission. We have a broad
brief,I believe,to provide advice on all matters pertaining to planning. It is our job to
suggest policies and practices that we believe would benefit the City.
We need to remember that we are nine individuals,all with busy lives, and as a
Board we operate without staff. Our ability to undertake in-depth research and analysis of
matters pertaining to planning is non-existent. We can draw on City resources,
particularly those of the over-stretched Community Development Department,to provide
assistance to us. We should be prepared to argue,however,that our need for their
assistance is justified in light of the other demands on their time and energies.
With these things in mind,here is a short list,by no means dispositive,of possible
goals and objectives for this Board in 2021,presented in part to encourage you to think
about other goals and objectives:
-Do we want to weigh in on the prioritization of the implementation of actions in the
Community Plan?If so,how?
-Do we want to monitor implementation of the Community Plan?If so,how?
-How best can we further promote City-County cooperation on planning issues?
-What do we see as our involvement in revisions to the UDC?Do we favor the current
incremental revisions?A complete re-write?Something in between?What role do we
think that outside consultants should play in revising the UDC?Do we see ourselves
having a role in suggesting or prioritizing items from the UDC Community Platform?
-How can we improve citizen input into Board deliberations?Should we invite interest
groups, such as the Bozeman Development Consortium or the Friends of Bozeman
Historic Preservation,to present to the Board periodically?
-What steps can be taken to improve the productivity of this Board?Membership
composition?Training?Greater clarity concerning the content of motions?
I intend to run the discussion of this agenda item by asking that, at the beginning,
each of you in turn speak for up to three minutes on your proposed top priorities and the
reasons for same.This would be followed by what I hope will be an open-ended
discussion that would lead to some general consensus about goals and objectives. We
could then, at our second meeting,hone these into specific goals, objectives and actions.