HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-05-26 Public Comment - D. Carty - Clarity needed for public comment opportunities at City public meetingsFrom:Daniel Carty
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Cc:Joey Morrison; Douglas Fischer
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Clarity needed for public comment opportunities at City public meetings
Date:Thursday, March 5, 2026 8:31:32 AM
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Thursday, March 5, 2026; 8:30 a.m.
Mayor Joey Morrison and Deputy Mayor Douglas Fischer:
At the beginning of every City Commission meeting and every Citizen Advisory Board
meeting, the same basic introduction is read out stating that the public will have theopportunity to offer oral comment on items on the agenda. However, the introduction is
unclear because the City Commission and advisory board chairs do not explicitly state onwhich agenda items oral public comment will be accepted and exactly when during a
meeting oral public comment will be accepted on particular agenda items.
That the introduction to City Commission meetings and advisory board meetings is unclearwith re to public comment opportunities can, and does, result in members of the public—
through no fault of their own—missing out on opportunities to offer oral public comment andcoming into conflict with advisory board chairs. For example, at the February 26, 2026,
Urban Parks and Forestry board meeting, oral public comment on FYI/Discussion items
was only allowed during the general comment period. In complete contrast, and only a few
days later during the March 4, 2026, Economic Vitality Board meeting, oral public commenton the one FYI/Discussion item was only allowed during the FYI/Discussion item itself.
Consequently, the introduction read out at City Commission meetings and advisory board
meetings should be revised to be unequivocally clear with re to (1) on which agenda itemsoral public comment will be accepted and (2) when during a meeting oral public comment
will be accepted on particular agenda items.
It is especially important for advisory board chairs to be educated on these rules so thatthey—and their staff and Commission liaisons—do not make arbitrary decisions as to
when oral public comment can be offered and when it cannot during advisory boardmeetings.
Daniel Carty
213 N. 3rd Ave
Bozeman, MT 59715