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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment K. DolanI live in Bozeman, but not technically in city limits. This means I must pay extra for my kids to attend the City of Bozeman summer camps. I do not think this policy is fair and will explain my reasoning and research. I had a few conversations with the recreation department last year and was basically told this is the way it is and could not get answers to my questions. From those conversations, I understand that I do not pay taxes to the City of Bozeman when I pay my real estate taxes, and therefore I pay more for summer camps. I have examined my real estate tax bill, along with my grandmother’s bill (who has a house of similar value to mine, but is an actual City of Bozeman resident), and reviewed the City of Bozeman financial statements. My grandma’s most recent tax bill has her paying $679.35 to the City of Bozeman. I believe this amount goes into the City’s General Fund. According to page 145 of the FY21 Approved Budget, the recreation department receives 7% from the General Fund and this covers many things related to the parks and recreation department, not just summer camp expenses. If 7% from my grandma’s tax bill were to go directly to the recreation department, that would be $47.55. Summer camp for a City of Bozeman resident costs $187.00 and $265.00 for a non-resident. For only one week of summer camp for only one child, I pay $78.00 more. This is above and beyond what a City of Bozeman resident paid in with their real estate taxes for house of similar value to mine. Now, I do not just have one child and I do not just need one week worth’s of summer camp. So, let us say I put my two children in for four weeks of summer camp, I am paying a total $624.00 more than an official resident would pay. I know this is the data for a specific situation so let me expand to cover the “average” Bozeman homeowner. According to the Bozeman Real Estate Group on January 6, 2021, the median home price in Bozeman is $594,000. With this information in mind, I looked up a house selling for $600,000 and ascertained that these homeowners would pay $1,150 to the City as according to their most recent tax bill. This would mean the 7% allocation to the recreation department is $80.50 which is in line with what non-residents are being asked to pay extra for ONE camp for ONE child. Maybe this would be reasonable IF the most likely scenario is of a family that does not live in the City Limits, has a house worth $600,000, and has only one child requiring only one week of summer camp. Now, if we look even deeper into the City’s financial statements, we discover that property taxes are only a portion, albeit the largest portion, of what is going into the General Fund. In fact, there are 21 revenue sources making up this fund. I think this would be a good point to mention again that I live in Bozeman, just outside of city limits. It is also worth noting that I live where I live because it was what I could afford. My husband and I as young first-time homebuyers and new parents could only qualify for a Rural Development loan that put us on the edge of town. So, while not in official city limits, we work, shop, and recreate in Bozeman and our kids go to school in the Bozeman school district. Why does this matter to my argument? Let us go back to the other sources of revenue into the General Fund. First, there is the Gallatin County Option. I could be mistaken, but I believe this is a tax I pay when I register my vehicles in Gallatin County. In 2020, the amount I paid specifically to the Gallatin County Option tax via my vehicle registrations totaled $153.30. The General Fund also includes library fines, police court fines, parking fines, snow removal fines, business/animal licenses and permits, etc. Do those of us living just over the line not live, work, and recreate in Bozeman? Are we not subject to these fines? Are we not contributing revenue to all the businesses in Bozeman also paying real estate taxes and other fees feeding the General Fund? Furthermore, according to page 177 of the FY21 Approved Budget, the three biggest taxpayers in Bozeman are Northwestern Energy, Verizon, and the Gallatin Mall. I think it is fair to say all of us living on the “wrong” side of the line are contributing to the monetary success of these three companies. According to an article published be the Bozeman Daily Chronicle in March of 2017, 61% of Bozeman’s workforce live outside city limits. This amounts to 16,600 workers as of three years ago. I am sure this amount has grown as Bozeman rapidly spreads outwards. More than 16,600 workers are contributing to the Bozeman economy, but are not allowed the same access to affordable summer childcare. I like to put my children in the City of Bozeman summer camps because it is the only camp, I can utilize without having to go to work late or leave early. Other camps have ridiculous hours for working parents, requiring pick-up at noon or 3pm. Who is being disenfranchised by this policy? It is middle to lower income working parents. It is those of us who have no other options for childcare. We have to work, or we want to work. We cannot afford nannies, and we do not have friends or family members providing us with free or low-cost childcare. We want our kids to have fun and safe summer activities rather than being left home alone. Additionally, the World Language Initiative summer camps are charging an appalling additional $100 per camp for non-residents. As far as I can tell, this program is not receiving funding from the recreation department or the City of Bozeman? Why would a non-resident have to pay so much more, other than to deny access? This is another policy putting up a pay wall and effectively blocking out the general population to cater to the elite and perpetuating the plutocracy. For the first three years of elementary school, my daughter attended the Spanish program through World Language, and would still be attending if it were not for COVID, yet we are required to pay a whopping $100 more for her to attend the summer camp. By the way, even after paying $350 for this camp, I still need to leave work two hours early to accommodate the fact that the camp ends at three in the afternoon. Is this not another way these camps are pandering to a specific class of parents? The vision statement for this program is “for all elementary-aged Montana students to have access to language and culture education”. This is a direct quote from their website. They fail to mention that that access will change based on what side of the street you live on. So far, I have covered the analytical side of this argument and the next part is the more subjective side. My family first came to Bozeman in 1974. I am a fourth generation Montanan on my mom’s side and a third generation Bozeman resident on my dad’s side. My grandma still lives in the same house in the heart of Bozeman that she first moved into in 1974. I have grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and cousins who have lived here all or, nearly all their lives. I do not think I need to get into the fact that hardly any of us can afford to live here now. Many of us went to elementary school, high school, and/or college here. We remember when most of the roads were still dirt and we could drive up to Hyalite on a Friday after work and get a camping spot. Now, especially for those in my generation, we cannot even afford a house here. We are being pushed out more and more every day. I am the only one of my siblings and cousins who is fortunate enough to currently own a home in Bozeman. We purchased our house at the beginning of 2015 and thank goodness we did because we would not stand a chance now. We did not buy our house where we did so that we would not have to pay taxes to the City of Bozeman, we bought our house where we did because we could only qualify for a Rural Development loan. After years of spending all my money in Bozeman and struggling to make ends meet here, I am being told that I do not even qualify as a resident. I love this town. This is my hometown. I love this state. I have faith in the people who make the big decisions to make the right decisions. I believe in our ability to be fair and to be innovative. I believe you can come up with a better system than charging more to families who live in Bozeman but just outside the City limits. Sincerely, Kristina Dolan