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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-07-25 - InterNeighborhood Council - Agendas & Packet MaterialsA. Call meeting to order - 4:30 p.m. B. Disclosures C. Changes to the Agenda D. Public Comments on Non-agenda Items Falling within the Purview and Jurisdiction of the Board E. FYI/Discussion E.1 Integrated Water Resource Plan PAC update (Boyson) E.2 Subcommittee Update and Planning(Sweeney) E.3 City Liaison Update(Kiely) E.4 Commission Liaison Update(Morrison) E.5 Neighborhood Updates(INC Reps) F. Adjournment THE INTER-NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA INC AGENDA Thursday, November 13, 2025 This meeting will be held both in-person and also using an online video conferencing system. You can join this meeting: Via Video Conference: Click the Register link, enter the required information, and click submit. Click Join Now to enter the meeting. Via Phone: This is for listening only if you cannot watch the stream, channel 190, or attend in- person United States Toll +1 669 900 9128 Access code: 960 8158 0066 This is the time to comment on any non-agenda matter falling within the scope of the Inter- Neighborhood Council. There will also be time in conjunction with each agenda item for public comment relating to that item but you may only speak once per topic. Please note, the Board cannot take action on any item which does not appear on the agenda. All persons addressing the Board shall speak in a civil and courteous manner and members of the audience shall be respectful of others. Please state your name and place of residence in an audible tone of voice for the record and limit your comments to three minutes. 1 For more information please contact Emily Kiely, ekiely@bozeman.net This board generally meets the 2nd Thursday of the month from 4:30 to 6:00 Committee meetings are open to all members of the public. If you have a disability that requires assistance, please contact our ADA Coordinator, David Arnado, at 406.582.3232. In order for this Board to receive all relevant public comment in time for this meeting, please submit via the Public Comment Page or by emailing comments@bozeman.net no later than 12:00 PM on the day of the meeting. Public comment may be made in person at the meeting as well. 2 Memorandum REPORT TO:Inter-Neighborhood Council FROM:Beth Boyson, PAC IWRP member and New Hyalite View INC rep SUBJECT:Integrated Water Resource Plan PAC update MEETING DATE:November 13, 2025 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Citizen Advisory Board/Commission RECOMMENDATION:None STRATEGIC PLAN:1.2 Community Engagement: Broaden and deepen engagement of the community in city government, innovating methods for inviting input from the community and stakeholders. BACKGROUND:IWRP has met monthly, since August. The committee members, consultants and city staff have worked hard to update the 2013 Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP). The Raftelis company is serving as a consultant, as they did in 2013. Committee members have reviewed data concerning Bozeman’s water supply, use trends, water law, and the City’s drought and conservation plans. The Public Advisory committee represents community interests, neighborhood perspectives business and housing interests and public engagement priorities. The Technical Advisory Committee provides expertise on water supply, environmental stewardship, engineering agriculture, and resource management. At the November 19 meeting, we will review revised alternative screening criteria based on input provided by the TAC and PAC during the October meetings. • Water rights complexity • Watershed resiliency and ecosystem services • Economic resiliency and growth • Preservation of agricultural heritage • Equity, access, and cultural inclusivity • Shared benefit UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None ALTERNATIVES:None FISCAL EFFECTS:None Report compiled on: November 6, 2025 3 4 Memorandum REPORT TO:Inter-Neighborhood Council FROM:Alison Sweeney, INC Secretary SUBJECT:Subcommittee Update and Planning MEETING DATE:November 13, 2025 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Citizen Advisory Board/Commission RECOMMENDATION:None STRATEGIC PLAN:1.2 Community Engagement: Broaden and deepen engagement of the community in city government, innovating methods for inviting input from the community and stakeholders. BACKGROUND:Bozeman has voted to examine its form of government. The Study Commission that we elected to research our current form and possibly propose a new form has asked for the INC’s input on what would strengthen the neighborhoods program in a possible future charter. The Study Commission will propose a new charter (or other form of government) next spring and Bozeman voters will have the opportunity in November of 2026 to adopt this new proposed form of government, or not. Therefore the INC has been asked to deliver their recommendations by the end of 2025. At the October INC meeting, representatives appointed Beth Boyson, Mark Campanelli, and Alison Sweeney to carry out this work. The plan of work is as follows: At the November INC meeting (11/13) reps will consider 5 topics relating to the Neighborhoods program, and construct survey questions to send out to the existing neighborhoods. In an attempt to gather input from across the city the survey will be shared widely through Nextdoor, community groups, word of mouth, and other digital platforms. At the December INC meeting (12/11) reps will discuss survey results and finalize recommendations to the Study Commission. After this meeting the recommendations will be formatted by the committee and submitted to the Study Commission along with the survey results and a description of the methods used to draft the recommendations. 5 This should be done ideally before the Christmas holiday. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None ALTERNATIVES:None FISCAL EFFECTS:None Attachments: INC Charter worksheet.pdf Report compiled on: November 6, 2025 6 Materials for INC meeting 11/13 Project Background Bozeman has voted to examine its form of government. The Study Commission that we elected to research our current form and possibly propose a new form has asked for the INC’s input on what would strengthen the neighborhoods program in a possible future charter. The Study Commission will propose a new charter (or other form of government) next spring and Bozeman voters will have the opportunity in November of 2026 to adopt this new proposed form of government, or not. Therefore the INC has been asked to deliver their recommendations by the end of 2025. At the October INC meeting, representatives appointed Beth Boyson, Mark Campanelli, and Alison Sweeney to carry out this work. The plan of work is as follows: At the November INC meeting (11/13) reps will consider 5 topics relating to the Neighborhoods program, and construct survey questions to send out to the existing neighborhoods. In an attempt to gather input from across the city the survey will be shared widely through Nextdoor, community groups, word of mouth, and other digital platforms. At the December INC meeting (12/11) reps will discuss survey results and finalize recommendations to the Study Commission. After this meeting the recommendations will be formatted by the committee and submitted to the Study Commission along with the survey results and a description of the methods used to draft the recommendations. This should be done ideally before the Christmas holiday. Resources for further study Not all regulatory language is appropriate for a charter. A charter sets the basic framework for how the City is structured. Further ordinances are written to flesh out regulatory framework in more specific detail. For reference check out these city charters focusing on the sections that apply to their Neighborhoods Programs. Bozeman Charter language also written in full on the final page of this document Great Falls Charter Helena Charter Missoula Charter 7 Topics of consideration for the Charter Assuming we continue to operate under a charter form of government 1. Statement of intent and Purpose for clarity in the role of neighborhood associations. Bozeman Charter Section 4, existing language Purpose. The citizens of Bozeman value the contribution neighborhoods can make to the governance of the city. Therefore, it is the purpose of this article to strengthen neighborhood participation where it exists, and to encourage and support neighborhood participation where it does not yet exist. Great Falls Charter Article 7, Section 4 Purpose: There shall be neighborhood councils. The councils shall act in an advisory capacity to the City Commission, the City Manager and to other City advisory bodies, and may contribute information, opinions, advice, suggestions and recommendations to the City Commission, City Manager and other City advisory bodies on all governmental affairs and services having an effect on the area the neighborhood council represents, including, but not limited to, public finance, public works, public safety, planning and zoning, and public health and sanitation. Helena Charter Section 4 There shall be seven (7) Neighborhood Councils, collectively comprising a Helena Citizens’ Council. Operating independently from the city commission or city officials, the Helena Citizen’s Council shall review and recommend actions relating to the annual budget, and make recommendations relating to future development of the city. For federal and state programs requiring citizen participation, the Helena Citizens’ Council may contract with the city for the provision of citizen participation. Missoula Charter Article 6 (1) The City of Missoula values the contribution neighborhoods can make to the governance of the City. Therefore, it is the purpose of this article to strengthen neighborhood participation where it exists, and to encourage and support neighborhood participation where it does not yet exist. 8 Question for INC reps: What should our statement of purpose include? Are there any words, powers, duties, or structures in the other city charters you think would be a good addition to Bozeman’s? Any other thoughts or ideas? We should probably start the survey asking folks to select their neighborhood association, but we could also include a box for those not in an officially recognized association. Example survey question about intent and purpose statement Which areas of interest do you think are appropriate for neighborhood associations to provide input to the city? Check as many boxes as you like. Public finance, Growth and land use, Public works, Historic preservation Public safety, Planning and zoning, Public health and sanitation Other; _________________________________________________________ 9 2. Should the City Commission create neighborhood association boundaries to cover the entire city, or should we continue with associations being self initiated with city staff support? How will either of these systems function if the Charter proposes to create wards or districts? The Cities of Missoula, Great Falls, and Helena all have City Commission created boundaries for neighborhood associations that cover the entire city. There are pros and cons to this. ● If all areas of the city are covered by a neighborhood association, then the City Commission will have less reason to minimize the input of INC, as they currently do, since current neighborhood associations only cover about 28% of the city geographically. ● If neighborhoods are created from the top down, they may not function as cohesively as those created voluntarily from the bottom up defined by residents in response to shared concerns, outlook, goals, or mission statements. Question for INC reps: If we recommend the City Commission create boundaries for neighborhood associations to cover the entire city, how will we transition from the current associations to the new system? How will wards or districts affect this? Example survey questions about how neighborhood associations will be created Which method of neighborhood association formation do you favor? The City Commission shall designate geographic boundaries for neighborhood associations, so that all areas of the city are included in an association. Neighborhood associations shall continue to be formed by residents on a voluntary basis, and they will define the geographic area covered by their association. What resources do you think would be necessary from the city of Bozeman in order to make your preferred method a success, including but not limited to financial and staffing resources?_____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 10 3. Should all neighborhood associations be governed by a basic set of bylaws that grant certain rights and responsibilities? This question for INC reps may not lead to a survey question, but should be brainstormed by current members. The discussion should be informed by struggles we face in operating now. One major problem is the lack of clarity around INC members voting. Question for INC reps: Should neighborhood associations be bound by a standard set of bylaws that spell out rights, responsibilities and structure, or does it make sense to continue with individually created bylaws? There are pros and cons to both approaches. ● If neighborhoods (whether self initiated or created by the City Commission) are provided with a basic set of bylaws, that they can add to but not subtract from, all INC members will be clearly enfranchised to vote. ● Providing a basic set of bylaws could give individuals or groups of neighbors a clear path to organizing, and make the formation of recognized associations easier, thereby increasing the likelihood of new neighborhoods self initiating. ● Maybe one size doesn’t fit all neighborhoods. ● A standard set of bylaws could guarantee that all residents living in the city have the same access to participation in their association. For example, renters could be granted voting rights, but non-resident landlords would not be. If individual neighborhoods are to operate under a basic standard set of bylaws, who should create them? Should the INC, City Commission, and City attorney have a role? What do those roles look like? Other thoughts? 11 4. Should the charter spell out specific resources the city would be required to provide to the Neighborhoods Program? Again, this may or may not lead to a survey question, but over the years it has been the experience in Bozeman that the Neighborhoods program has been better or less well resourced. This has impacted the effectiveness of INC over the years. Question for INC reps: Bozeman’s current charter language: City Liaison. The City shall designate a staff member to serve as liaison to the InterNeighborhood Council and neighborhood associations. This does not designate full time support, but it has been acknowledged that the Program works better when the Neighborhoods Coordinator is allowed to run the program full time without having other duties. If the city provides plenty of outreach and support for neighborhoods wanting to form, it will be less easy for the Commission or staff to dismiss the input of the INC as underrepresentative of the community. Great Falls says nothing in their charter can obligate funds to the program. Missoula’s charter says the city may allocate funds to assist the program. Helena makes no mention of staff, though interestingly Helena requires a member of their Citizen’s Council (their INC) to attend every City Commission meeting and report back. Should the Bozeman charter language do a better job of clarifying what staff time and financial resources the city must provide to the neighborhoods program? If yes, what does that look like to you? 12 5. There wasn’t always a City Commission liaison to the INC. There is an opportunity to structure the relationship between the INC and the City Commission differently. The INC is an advisory board, but it is unique in that the representatives are directly elected by their neighborhood rather than appointed by the commission. How can the function of INC be harmonized with other advisory boards, while remaining distinct in order to provide a check and balance not guaranteed by other commission-appointed boards? Again, this may not lead to a survey question for the wider community. Question for INC reps: Should INC continue to operate with a Commission liaison? If so, should the process by which information from the INC meetings is relayed by the liaison to the wider commission be spelled out specifically? Or should INC revert to past situations where the Chair gave a report on the State of the Neighborhoods to the City Commission twice a year, though no Commissioner regularly attended the meetings. Is there another structure that would work well? 13 Bozeman Charter, Sec. 4.06. - Neighborhood Associations. (a) Purpose. The citizens of Bozeman value the contribution neighborhoods can make to the governance of the city. Therefore, it is the purpose of this article to strengthen neighborhood participation where it exists, and to encourage and support neighborhood participation where it does not yet exist. (b) Recognition of neighborhood associations. The city commission shall establish by ordinance minimum recognition requirements for neighborhood associations. These standards shall include, but not be limited to: (1) clear geographic boundaries; (2) procedures for defining a resident for neighborhood association membership; (3) adherence to established by-laws that ensure democratic deliberative and voting procedures; (4) periodic meetings, including an annual meeting; (5) copy of the by-laws and all amendments filed with the city; (6) inclusion of all residents in the neighborhood association; and (7) demonstrating that it has a means of communicating with all residents in a neighborhood association. (c) Minimum Standards. A neighborhood association must meet and continue to maintain conformity with the minimum standards as established by ordinance in order to be recognized by the city and to be eligible to elect members to the InterNeighborhood Council. Neighborhood associations existing on the date of the enactment of this charter shall have one year after the enactment of said city ordinance to come into compliance. (d) InterNeighborhood Council. There is hereby established an InterNeighborhood Council to be composed of representatives selected by each recognized neighborhood association. (1) The InterNeighborhood Council shall provide a forum for Neighborhood Associations to come together, share information, and make recommendations to the city commission, city staff, and the mayor on city-wide issues. This does not preclude a neighborhood association from taking its concerns directly to the city or the commission. (2) The InterNeighborhood Council shall meet on a regular basis to address city-wide concerns and foster dialogue between neighborhoods. (3) The InterNeighborhood Council shall adopt by-laws governing the conduct of their business. Such by-laws shall be approved by the city commission, or as designated by ordinance. A vacancy on the InterNeighborhood Council shall be filled only by the affected neighborhood association. The city may appoint a city commissioner as a non-voting member of the InterNeighborhood Council. (e) City Liaison. The City shall designate a staff member to serve as liaison to the InterNeighborhood Council and neighborhood associations. 14 Memorandum REPORT TO:Inter-Neighborhood Council FROM:Emily Kiely, Community Engagement Coordinator SUBJECT:City Liaison Update MEETING DATE:November 13, 2025 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Citizen Advisory Board/Commission RECOMMENDATION:None STRATEGIC PLAN:1.2 Community Engagement: Broaden and deepen engagement of the community in city government, innovating methods for inviting input from the community and stakeholders. BACKGROUND:Standing item on the INC agenda - the City Liaison provides an update on Neighborhoods Program work, Engagement at the City, and pertinent information for INC reps and neighborhoods, as well as follow-up from previous meeting discussions if needed. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None ALTERNATIVES:None FISCAL EFFECTS:None Report compiled on: November 7, 2025 15 Memorandum REPORT TO:Inter-Neighborhood Council FROM:Joey Morrison, Deputy Mayor SUBJECT:Commission Liaison Update MEETING DATE:November 13, 2025 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Citizen Advisory Board/Commission RECOMMENDATION:None STRATEGIC PLAN:1.2 Community Engagement: Broaden and deepen engagement of the community in city government, innovating methods for inviting input from the community and stakeholders. BACKGROUND:Standing item on INC agenda - City Commissioner liaison provides an update of pertinent information for Neighborhoods. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None ALTERNATIVES:None FISCAL EFFECTS:None Report compiled on: November 7, 2025 16 Memorandum REPORT TO:Inter-Neighborhood Council FROM:Inter-Neighborhood Council Representatives SUBJECT:Neighborhood Updates MEETING DATE:November 13, 2025 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Citizen Advisory Board/Commission RECOMMENDATION:None STRATEGIC PLAN:1.2 Community Engagement: Broaden and deepen engagement of the community in city government, innovating methods for inviting input from the community and stakeholders. BACKGROUND:Standing item on INC agenda - pertinent updates from INC representatives will be shared. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None ALTERNATIVES:None FISCAL EFFECTS:None Report compiled on: November 7, 2025 17