HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-28-26 Public Comment - N. Nakamura - City Commission priorities discussionFrom:Natsuki Nakamura
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]City Commission priorities discussion
Date:Saturday, February 28, 2026 6:49:04 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear City Commission,
This general comment is in regards to your upcoming discussion on your priorities for the next
two years.
As a disclosure, I am a member of the Economic Vitality board and a member of the BetterBozeman Coalition action committee, but speaking only for myself.
The City has many plans and issues to tackle, but with limited time among staff and the
Commission and limited resources, it is important to prioritize.
The City put a lot of effort in their Belonging in Bozeman plan, and in it, it clearly andconcisely defines priorities, vision statements, goals, recommendations, and metrics. Perhaps
these definitions could be helpful as you reflect on your priorities.
Vision Statements: "Serve as bold, short, and consistent phrases that clearly state a desiredoutcome for all individuals in our community."Goals: "Put visions into practice by describing the overarching action that must be taken inorder to achieve the vision."Recommendations: "Take goals to a finer level of detail by clarifying the steps that must betaken in order to achieve goal."#1 Priorities: "Recommendations that have relatively high impact/urgency, are mostdifficult/costly to implement, and may need more time to gather resources and build capacity.
Begin first, but progress may not occur for 2-3 years."#2 Priorities: "Recommendations with relatively high impact/urgency, are relatively less
difficult/costly and should be undertaken early, progress expected within 1-2 years."#3 Priorities: "Recommendations that have relatively lower impact/urgency and are least
difficult/costly and should be undertaken after progress and/or successful implementation of#1 and #2 recommendations."Metrics: "Result or action taken that indicates whether a recommendation has beenadvanced"
Some of my questions in regards to the City Commission priorities as presented:
Have you drafted up priorities or vision statements?Do different Commissioners have different recommendations on how to get to the
desired outcome, and if so, is the Commission priorities discussion on Tuesday the timeto talk through some of those differences?
What are the steps you think must be taken to "ensure appropriate staffing for police"?What are the "variety of programs and strategies" you think we need to improve housing
access? Are we adding new ones or continuing with the same ones?What is the City's role in supporting "efforts to improve living-wage opportunities"?
Does "Keep Bozeman a safe and welcoming place" being listed as #1 imply it is ahigher priority than "Protecting Bozeman's heritage, neighborhoods, and environment,"
listed as #4?Is there any assessment of impact/urgency and difficulty/cost to pursue or implement
recommendations? What do you think is feasible within 2 years?
What metrics will you use to measure advancement?
Thank you for your consideration,
Natsuki Nakamura