HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-12-23 Public Comment - M. Wictor - Public Comment THU 01_12_2023 on getting input & feedback on UDC changes _ other key items, for WorkPlan(s) 2023-2044From:Mary Wictor
To:Agenda
Subject:Public Comment THU 01/12/2023 on getting input & feedback on UDC changes / other key items, for
WorkPlan(s) 2023-2044
Date:Thursday, January 12, 2023 6:01:42 PM
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Dear City of Bozeman, City Commission, & Advisory Boards via agenda@bozeman.net:
Please provide this written Public Comment from me today to the following ASAP: City Commission, and
for all Advisory Boards/groups
(e.g., including but not limited to the Sustainability Board, Community Development Board, etc.)... plus
City Manager & appropriate Staff
FYI
There is a lot going on in Bozeman; I have been watching many meetings, plus, I registered for Engage
Bozeman by February 2022.
[I apologize in advance for the length of my written input here, but I want to share info and provide inputs
to help from my experiences.]
FIRST--Thank you!
1/12/2023 post-mtg 1/9/23 ComDevBoard, I was thankful to see the City's website main front-page has a
5th "LEARN MORE" item,
"DEVELOPMENT CODE - We are updating regulations around zoning and development. Learn more and
provide your input!"
which when clicked goes to Building our Future Together Development Code Update [UDC etc.] These
are both timely and quite useful.
I have both GENERAL feedback and SPECIFIC ideas/examples as input for consideration, based on
decades of advocacy experience:
BACKGROUND / PROCESS / TIMELINE now thru Dec 2023(?!) [and into 2024]
A)
Municipal Code was updated** (and has changed numerous times over decades--per City's 26-yr Comm.
Dev. Manager/Chris Saunders)
B)
Bozeman 2020 Community Plan, adopted by end 2019, contains Goals & Policies that are and need to be
used / apply to development
C)
Aug-Nov 2022 some 40+ groups were culled and coalesced into 5 "Super Boards" & plus a handful of
original boards [BDC 11/11/2021]
"Membership of new Bozeman advisory boards taking shape" by Nora Shelly, Bozeman Daily Chronicle /
Staff Writer
D)
**Even though City Codes recently updated--need make Unified Development Code (UDC) changes to
implement key Policy & Priorities
UDC changes are underway / presentations occurring, but it appears to me that Super Boards &
stakeholders aren't involved enough!
GENERAL feedback--best practices I've used and/or seen over past several decades of my life, work,
and advocacy on many things
1) Get inputs "early & often"... INPUTS from "key" and "many" early on; allow inputs + incorporate, then
ask for review/feedback cycle(s)
2) Stakeholders need to include knowledgeable and experienced people/resources that USE CODEs for
work, life, or that impacts them
(developers small/large, frequent or infrequent, architects, engineers, applicants, owners--& wider than I
know, and even can state here)
These experienced people know what does work, what doesn't work at all, not well, or hampers, plus will
have good/great-new ideas too
-->City of Bozeman can and should use these people who have volunteered their time/knowledge for
Advisory Boards &/or are impacted
People with professional experience(s), who can recommend and/or involve developer resources, who
make $ and/or pay $ to develop.
3) Even people with "lived experience", (maybe without any related professional jobs or roles,) can &
should be invited to give inputs based on "impacts" or concerns they know about or have lived through via
impacts to their own lives or areas where they live, work, or play.
Very excellent people, who are quite "informed" through having been impacted by Code/Policy changes,
have interests & do make time to be involved! They feel & care, they want to be heard, it is important for
them to see that people and individuals matter--so, hear their concerns/problems/issues, receive and
respect their inputs (regardless of how it may be delivered), and use their ideas for betterment.
4) Ensure Federal, State, and City rules and requirements are met in real and meaningful ways including
people, processes and money.
Otherwise lots of problems occur, time is taken up, & opportunities are replaced by challenges to
address/resolve disputes or conflicts.
With all that is going on in the world, nation, state, & city--use this time as well as we can and focus on
inputs-->best product/process inviting and respecting all, allowing Boards/groups to work as they best
might, towards the result of a better Bozeman for all 2023-2024+.
5) Wider public involvement and processes can run start-to-end and meet people when and where they
are at--pop-ups, varied locations, different times. All inputs are valid even if very simple & can be quite
eye-opening, but also can be improved with outreach and education. People are most willing to speak up
at the right time, but also when they are asked/given a chance, feel they will be heard, might help
influence or promote changes--people are even more willing to respond, speak up, or become involved,
(even if briefly,) when informed.
+Many cities use "Statistically Valid" surveys to establish a small number of inputs (e.g., just 300-600)
that are indeed valid based on a random sample of City. I have participated in these and do honor their
statistical-significant. I have also seen when the surveys are then released openly & widely (e.g., on a
City website) there are indeed public members who go online (or via paper) and submit their inputs.
Thus, it is key to use Boards, those who work in their professions, the general public everywhere, but also
Statistically Valid responses and still offer input means to anyone & everyone who might be interested
regardless [age, experience, etc.] = Bigger overall # responses.
6) Get early inputs, allow & encourage feedback during the process/cycles; show that ideas and
feedback are used / incorporated.
Listening to the MON 1/9/2023 Community Development Board & WED 1/11/2023 Sustainability Board, I
hear that more involvement, interaction, and chances for inputs and/or feedback and review prior to the
DRAFT later this year are wanted and warranted for UDC (+).
SPECIFIC feedback
i) ADD A REGULAR AGENDA ITEM EACH MEETING for in-process topics (like UDC or other key items);
can be short 5min-15min?!
For Advisory Boards, suggest and allow at each meeting in 2023 a chance for ANYONE/everyone on that
Board to state or discuss thoughts on UDC and other key items being considered for the City of
Bozeman. Maybe nothing would be said each meeting, or perhaps only one or several ideas or thoughts
might be brought up or discussed. However, as it is an open public meeting, Board members would havethe chance to make a comment or give input, with discussion by others on the Board, (plus, perhaps evenallow Public Comment to be made.) Liaison/staff presence and minutes also provides the means thatsome brief summary of the points would be recorded/known.
Scheduling & allowing of UDC or other key items simply as a formal TOPIC each meeting would allowand encourage input & discussion.[Note: Often "upcoming" items are part of Board or Commission Agendas. While useful-->even moreuseful if allow/discuss key things.]
As generally mentioned herein, get input early and often, plus the earlier it is received in the process, the
more likely to impact/change.
ii) ALLOW ADVISORY BOARDs use of some $ on key items to sponsor small mtg/event or bring in
resources in-the-know/experienced
Advisory Boards do have Work Plan items and budget; it does seem that it would be good to let/allowBoard members to use some $ to bring in and/or interact with individuals, groups, agencies, etc. onspecific or key topics. I did see at the Sustainability Board this week a really great and extensive list offood-related folks was given having been promised at a prior board meeting, and given to Staff to help.This suggestion certainly includes that e.g., ... but also does allow there to be some external sort ofgroup/meeting or at Board meeting info/presentation to be given by a known/selected someone or entity
to weigh-in on a key topic within a Board's Work Plan for 2023-2024.
iii) ALLOW smaller subgroup of ADVISORY BOARD to work as an interested, engaged volunteer informal
committee to look into/research
Often all Board members may not have the ability or flexibility to look into things other than for officialmeetings. However, one-two-three in a group (nothing to threaten a quorum) is often fun and expeditiousto look into something or understand history or new path forward.
iv) REAL UDC CHANGES are needed for form & function, and with knowing what changes will make for a
more suitable/better Bozeman.
Ex: For UDC, height & transition discussions will be very important (and widely I think.) Plus, graphicaladditions and simplifications of Code (UDC) are important and worthwhile, but I DO NOT BELIEVE themto be the primary goal (and certainly not the only UDC goal!) What the Code says and how it works (or
not) and can be improved is paramount!
v) ETHICS training by Taylor Chambers was very good. Suggest it be CLARIFIED (reviewed/advised via
City Attorney Greg Sullivan) for ALL BOARDS/GROUPS that just because a person is on an AdvisoryBoard or other "original group", it does NOT disallow that person from making any Public Comment(s)--but need to specifically identify that they are making their statement as themselves (vs Board).
vi) CHANGE to allow interested/experienced Board members and/or Chair Person to potentially be
allowed to stay longer than 2 terms
I am quite concerned generally, not just for the Sustainability Board, when I recently read on page 4 of 6
approved August 10, 2021 Resolution 5327: that "Board Members may serve no more than (2) two terms."
While it is important for there to be fresh eyes, and new blood, it has been my lifetime experience that
sometimes it is hard to get positions filled. Additionally, I know and have learned that there is a HUGE
benefit in time and process that is achieved when there is in fact a Board member and/or Chair who is
interested, willing, and able to dedicate themselves and their time to the Board longer--let them!
REFERENCE: Today 1/12/2023 the Bozeman Daily Chronicle had a article entitled, "Bill would let Montana counties
consolidate land use boards" while may apply at the County level, not City (and has not yet passed), the article includes statementsfrom a variety of associations in several places which emphasizes that, "counties struggle to fill a single
volunteer board..." especially for Planning, Zoning, and Adjustments. Per multiple associations, "All
reiterated difficulties in finding people to sit on volunteer land-use boards throughout the state." Even in
Gallatin County, "land-use boards have struggled to attract and retain volunteers" per SeanO'Callaghan/Planning Director.[SB 130 maintains local control, would allow consolidation of boards, help do reviews for zoningcompliance, variances, and subdivisions, streamline processes, hear all potential issues, and bring moreconsistency to decisions [or recommendations that] Boards may make."
vii) Board Appointment(s): example from another city / WA State... I have seen used an open-process for
Board applications, Virtual/in-person interviews that the public can see, City council/commission thendoing a hidden-voting by ballot that is tallied during that meeting, with results shown in real-time online bythe City council/commission who makes/made the decision while public was allowed to watch.
SuperBoards I only saw Board changes and appointments made last 2021. I am not sure of the processthe Bozeman City Commission uses. However, I offer this item above vii) as an idea for what I watchedrecently in WA and felt that interviews and election were done publicly, well-done, and transparently sothat everyone could see who applied, what they had written, how they responded to key question(s), plusknow their background/experience, etc. Starting in December 2021 the number of Boards was reduced inBozeman, so I don't know if the City Commission is or will change how Appointments are made/done. I hope that the City of Bozeman either does or will consider open/public application, interviews, &transparency for voting / selection, etc.
Appointments to Boards: I did watch the last one or more meetings of the some of the prior 40+ Boards
for the City of Bozeman. It was interesting to see and hear what they had been doing and how the new
Super Boards would change that and work moving forward. +Pleased to see the number of folks who were selected & chose to move to the Super Boards as I hadbeen able to "see" them in action+Amazed at the knowledge and experience of the Board members, and their true interest, passion, anddedication to Board work-->Grateful for the Boards and all that their members do, but hoping this email might urge modifications toallow more inputs, feedback, and earlier too, plus also review cycles.
While this email text is long, it covers many key points I have learned from years of working in groups, forchange, and advocating to make things better. I hope that by emailing this today THU 1/12/2023, well-ahead of next scheduled meetings, that City Commissioners, appropriate City Management/Staff, and allAdvisory Board members/chairs and the other "original groups" remaining might use/benefit.
In summary, with new Goals/Policies, plus Priorities, and extensive inputs through Public Comments, it isextremely important for Bozeman to really look at how inputs are coming in and being summarized byConsultants at this time. It does seem to me there are much wider ways to allow, especially Advisory
Board volunteers, to give more inputs plus feedback, NOW and much earlier in the cycle... rather than
waiting later this year in 2023 to see what gets drafted. [Get inputs early, use feedback, provide draft(s) &review in cycles.]
Sincerely, Mary WictorOwner: 1504 Boylan Rd & other property in Bozeman & Gallatin County