HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-06-26 Public Comment - A. Sweeney - INC recommendations for a potential new Bozeman CharterFrom:Becky Franks
To:Jandt Neighborhood; Bozeman Goverment Study Commission; Bozeman Public Comment
Cc:Emily Kiely; Joey Morrison
Subject:RE: [EXTERNAL]INC recommendations for a potential new Bozeman Charter
Date:Saturday, December 20, 2025 9:00:14 AM
Thank you so much Allison for putting this all together. Very helpful and will allow us to move
forward as we write an amended charter for the City of Bozeman residents to vote on in
November.
Becky
Becky Franks, MA
Bozeman Study Commissioner
Becky Franks | LinkedIn
From: Jandt Neighborhood <jandtneighborhood@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 1:54 PM
To: Bozeman Goverment Study Commission <govreview@BOZEMAN.NET>; Bozeman Public
Comment <comments@BOZEMAN.NET>
Cc: Emily Kiely <ekiely@BOZEMAN.NET>; Joey Morrison <jmorrison@BOZEMAN.NET>
Subject: [EXTERNAL]INC recommendations for a potential new Bozeman Charter
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Hello Bozeman City Government Study Commission,
Thank you for the work you are doing to conduct outreach for this local government
study, and for soliciting feedback specifically from Bozeman's Inter-Neighborhood
Council (INC). As the Secretary of the INC, I submit to you recommended Charter
language, as pertains to the Neighborhoods Program and the INC, for your consideration
for inclusion in a possible future Bozeman Charter.
The goal of this proposed language is to strengthen an existing Neighborhoods Program
and INC by improving two-way communication between the City and its residents,
thereby increasing citizen participation in local government, and providing a mechanism
by which residents and neighborhoods can advocate for their interests and concerns
together.
The process for the creation of this recommended Charter language began with the
formation of a subcommittee of INC representatives. The subcommittee examined the
Charter language of other Montana cities. The subcommittee presented ideas to the
larger council, and gathered input from fellow INC representatives. Some
representatives went back to their broader neighborhood association membership,
while others consulted their steering committees. Finally draft language was
workshopped in a regularly scheduled INC meeting on December 11th of this year.
It is worth taking some time to watch the recording of the December 11th INC meeting in
order to understand the context of the recommended charter language. What concerns
informed certain language will no doubt be useful to you. You can view the recording
here. Two points that might not be communicated through this recording are these;
Several INC representatives who reached out to their steering committees for
input, reported strong support for a city-wide system of wards or districts from
which to elect City Commissioners if the wards or districts were drawn on
neighborhood boundaries. In other words, please don't bisect existing
neighborhood associations placing them in multiple different wards or districts.
Possible wards or districts might include multiple neighborhood associations, and
could give associations a valuable point person on the City Commission to whom
they may communicate concerns directly.
Many INC representatives felt that a full time, paid, staff person, dedicated to the
Neighborhoods Program entirely, would better facilitate new neighborhoods
forming in underserved parts of the community. Most INC representatives felt that
neighborhood formation from the ground-up, in an organic process initiated in the
neighborhoods themselves, would result in better participation than City
designated geographic areas to be recognized as neighborhood associations from
the top-down. This is due to the high level of knowledge people who live in an area
have about what creates natural boundaries and shared concerns. If the Study
Commission does decide to recommend top-down neighborhood associations
based on geography, please respect existing neighborhood associations that have
formed to date. Progress is being made currently, and the city is on a good path to
broader representation on the Council. Either way, full time staff is critical for the
future success of the Program.
Attached is the final recommended charter language drafted at the December 11th INC
meeting. You may receive individual neighborhood association recommendations as
well.
Thank you again for soliciting the input of the Inter-Neighborhood Council on what might
strengthen the Neighborhoods Program and INC in a possible future Bozeman City
Charter.
Alison Sweeney
Chair of the Jandt Neighborhood
Secretary of the Inter-Neighborhood Council
INC Charter Subcommittee Chair