HomeMy WebLinkAboutSummary of Shaping Our FutureSummary of "Shaping Our Future: A Guide to Revising Bozeman's City Charter in
Accordance with Montana Law," by Deanna Campbell
https://weblink.bozeman.net/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=296319&dbid=0&repo=BOZEMAN
The guide outlines the significance of reviewing city governance and revising Bozeman’s City
Charter, emphasizing its role as a local constftutfon that structures municipal government, sets
legal boundaries, and ensures transparency and accountability. Although the charter does not
dictate specific policies, it significantly shapes policy-making by establishing governance
frameworks, embedding rights protectfons, and setting clear legal and ethical boundaries.
The revision process must respect Montana law, including the Montana Code Annotated (MCA),
the Montana Constftutfon, and the U.S. Constftutfon, achieving three main goals:
1. Strengthen Local Self-Governance: Enable Bozeman to address local needs flexibly
within state law boundaries.
2. Enhance Democratic Accountability: Clearly define leadership roles, promote
transparency, and encourage actfve public partfcipatfon.
3. Safeguard Individual Rights: Embed protectfons to prevent governmental overreach.
An effectfve city charter must possess clarity, adaptability, protectfon of citfzen rights, and
alignment with community values. It should remain neutral and fair, avoiding politfcal or
ideological bias, ensuring equal treatment for all residents, and accurately reflectfng community
prioritfes.
The charter has considerable influence over local policy through:
• Defining government powers and limitatfons.
• Protectfng individual rights and freedoms.
• Focusing policy-making on clearly defined responsibilitfes.
• Mandatfng transparency and public involvement.
• Balancing innovatfve governance with stability and fiscal responsibility.
The guide also draws examples from other Montana citfes, illustratfng how charters can
structure fiscal responsibility, taxatfon limits, voter approval for tax increases, term limits,
compensatfon rules, and citfzen engagement mechanisms. These examples demonstrate the
broad possibilitfes of charter provisions while maintaining compliance with state laws.
Ultfmately, the document calls on Bozeman's community and the City Study Commission to
thoughtiully and ambitfously approach government review and charter revision as an
opportunity to reinforce self-governance, accountability, transparency, and core community
values, securing the city's future through responsible and effectfve governance.