HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-17-24 Public Comment - E. Talago - Comment for DURB, Economic DevelopmentFrom:Emily Talago
To:Ellie Staley
Cc:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Comment for DURB, Economic Development
Date:Tuesday, April 16, 2024 12:57:07 PM
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Unfortunately, I was not acknowledged as having my hand raised in the zoom call today (theaudio also cut out midway through) and so I'm submitting this via email so it is shared with
the board. I tuned in today because of the presentation you guys received last week regarding the fire
station project. We have heard that we can't have affordable housing without subsidy. ok- but that begs the
question of where these subsidies come from and then perhaps more importantly, where dothey ultimately go?
I've come to realize, and am admittedly perplexed by some sort of institutionalized allergy tocity ownership of housing assets. Perplexed because all the other community assets we handle
in a socialized, or subsidized fashion- we, as a community, do own- fire, police, schools,streets.
Is there a way to structure a deal with the fire station that works with this builder to showcasetheir new modular construction, with adequate parking, but ultimately with community
ownership over the asset (buy it back)? Because again, due to the strangeness of which we arecurrently calculating affordability metrics for renters (ie using AMIs for both owners and
renters residing in all of gallatin county which includes big sky) there as there are no incomeminimums, we're missing the mark.
When you apply for a mortgage, for better or worse, thanks to the subprime debacle, you can'tfinance a home that your income says would make you cost-burdened. There's no similar
protection in place for renters to ensure they aren't spending more than 30% of their incomeson housing. So without more protective metrics for renter affordability, we are at risk of
perpetuating wealth extracting practices on the backs of our workforce. So I encourage any private/public partnerships to be constructed through the lens of ensuring
wealth stays in our community, because the extraction is robbing our workforce of any hope ofeconomic mobility and any hope of putting down roots and having the agency of calling this
place home. Thanks for receiving my comment and for your service to this community,
Emily Talago416 W Short St
Bozeman, MT 59715
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