HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-23-24 Public Comment - E. Marum - City Commission PrioritiesFrom:Elizabeth Marum
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]City Commission Priorities
Date:Monday, January 22, 2024 12:47:07 PM
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Dear Bozeman Commissioners,
Understanding the importance of the City of Bozeman's priorities for the next two years, mycomments come as a concerned observer who has served over a decade on the Belgrade
Planning Board and several appointments beyond that. Planning for inclusive, balancedcommunities produces better results.
I understand the appeal of relying on national standards such as the Average Median Income.We need that for estimating equivalence. In a high-growth, high-value area such as Gallatin
County, and Bozeman specifically, I see a priority need to average the income of first-yearteachers, law enforcement officers, nurses, public service employees, and non-tenure-track
instructors at MSU, and similar, to provide a more realistic index of "who can afford what" inour market.
I would intentionally remove tech workers and those working in the financial industry becausemany of those are remote or serve wider, wealthier markets. I would exclude real estate agents
(good people just making a living) because their incentive conflicts with the mid-marketrealities of young professionals who, if we give them a chance to begin their careers and start
families here, will choose to put roots down and build our community. You have bright planners and staff who could put a few hours in to come up with an MT AMI
that would be more useful in understanding policies the City needs over the next two years andbeyond.
In addition, I recommend that if the HRDC is accepted as the defacto Housing Authority, asreferenced in the council meeting on 12/12/23, they follow the same rules demanded for
formal Public Housing Authorities. Namely, these are:
Open public meetings when discussing and deciding on housing projects
Following the City's code for Fair WagesMaking all the publicly available data provided to HUD easier to find (weblinks, etc.)
Owned by the City for long-term, future benefit
I recommend the City inform itself in financing models that provide advantages to the City
such as the Montgomery County, MD, revenue bonding model. Of course, I would be happyto discuss this in detail if invited to do so.
With best regards,
Elizabeth Marum
-- Elizabeth Marum
406-570-1033
Fear seeks noisy company and pandemonium to scare away the demons. C.G. Jung