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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-08-26 Public Comment - M. McHugh - Re_Public Comment 3-24-26 meetingFrom:Mary Frances McHugh To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:Re: [EXTERNAL]Public Comment 3-24-26 meeting Date:Wednesday, April 8, 2026 11:01:00 AM 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. Hi, Mike. Since I do not have your email, I am using this "reply all" to respond to you on my public comment thoughts and our email conversation on March 24th. I watched the meeting last night and was pleased to see the advisory on the agenda for public comment on consent agenda items. I think it worked well. Thank you for making that adjustment. Mary Frances McHugh From: Mary McHugh <m.f.mchugh@hotmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 3:04 PM To: Bozeman Public Comment <comments@bozemanmt.gov> Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL]Public Comment 3-24-26 meeting Thank you, Mike. I do appreciate your taking the time to work with me on this. I will let you get on with your life this evening, and I will make my points at Public Comment and we can pick this up tomorrow. It is funny that you feel I might be confused, I am clearly not making my point well enough. We can work on this tomorrow. mf From: Bozeman Public Comment <comments@bozemanmt.gov> Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 2:45 PM To: Mary McHugh <m.f.mchugh@hotmail.com>; Bozeman Public Comment <comments@bozemanmt.gov> Cc: Cola Rowley <Cola.Rowley@bozemanmt.gov>; Jon Henderson <Jon.Henderson@bozemanmt.gov>; Chuck Winn <Chuck.Winn@bozemanmt.gov>; Bozeman City Clerks Department <BozemanClerksDepartment@bozemanmt.gov> Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL]Public Comment 3-24-26 meeting Hi Mary, It appears to me that you may still be confused about the comment process. Any item that has a Commission vote WILL have a public comment opportunity PRIOR to their vote. For the Consent Agenda, the Mayor will call for public comment on items on the Consent Agenda specifically, allowing for any comment including a request to remove an item for further discussion; the Commission is not obligated to heed that request and pull an item for further discussion. As with any agenda items, written comments are accepted for Consent Items; this is not to be construed as a required “reason” or “cause” and all comments that are not anonymous are distributed for review. Even if a written comment is submitted, an individual may still take the opportunity to speak orally at the meeting on the same item (this is a practice that many community members frequently employ). For tonight’s meeting, the Appeal for the Sundance Springs application will NOT ALLOW for public comment, only because the public hearing and record of decision were closed at a previous meeting and the decision was continued until tonight’s meeting due to the late hour of that previous meeting. There will be at least three separate calls for public comment at tonight’s meeting: 1) On the Consent Agenda 2) in “Section L” for non-agenda items and 3)Action Item K.1. I will be in the office today until 5 p.m. if you would like to give me a call to discuss further. Or feel free to reach out anytime during business hours, I’m here most of the time. Thank you, Mike Maas, MPA City of Bozeman | 121 N. Rouse Ave. | Bozeman, MT 59715 406.582.2321 Pronouns: he/him/his **Please note updated email address** From: Mary McHugh <m.f.mchugh@hotmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 3:07 PM To: Bozeman Public Comment <comments@bozemanmt.gov> Cc: Mary McHugh <m.f.mchugh@hotmail.com> Subject: [EXTERNAL]Public Comment 3-24-26 meeting 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. Further public comment, Agenda Item L for March 24, 2026 meeting. Date: March 24, 2026 To: The Commissioners, City of Bozeman Re: Agenda item “L. Public Comment on Non-agenda Items Falling Within the Purview and Jurisdiction of the Commission (‘Public Comment’)” – additional points Suggestion that the Commission Consider Re-Ordering Future Agendas to Have Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items Falling Within the Purview and Jurisdiction of the Commission be had before all other matters except items A (Call to Order) and B (Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence) From: Mary Frances McHugh, Owner in Harvest Creek Subdivision, Bozeman, MT The current order of the agenda for the Commission places Public Comment after the Consent Agenda. This position on the agenda creates a barrier to the public who wish to comment on matters which are on the Consent Agenda. Bozeman Municipal Code Section 2.20.050.B sets the order of the agenda for regular meetings. It provides that only a commissioner may request items to be removed from the consent agenda for the purpose of discussion. As is currently the law, a member of the public has no opportunity during a meeting to make a request that a matter be removed from the Consent Agenda. Matters on the Consent Agenda are decided before Public Comment can occur. No public comment occurs at all on Consent Agenda items unless an item is removed from the Consent Agenda by a Commissioner. There does not appear to be a specific, written procedure for the public to request items be removed from the agenda. Apparently, a writing is required, and a cause expected to be made. Not every person interested in making a public comment on a Consent Agenda item is able to timely contact the Commission Clerk with a written request for removal of an item from the Consent Agenda so that a Public Comment can be made. The process itself is unduly cumbersome. It should be clear to the public what procedure they should follow to request removal of an item from the consent agenda; and, that they may request removal of an item from the consent agenda during the meeting, at a designated time prior to the consent agenda, so that it may be repositioned on the agenda for fuller public comment. Additionally, a requirement of a reason or cause (express or implied) is a prior restraint on a citizen’s of right of petition. It is suggested that the Commission’s Presiding Officer adjust the order of the agenda to accommodate this as allowed in Section 2.02.050 and adopt the practice of its sister body, The City of Bozeman Study Commission, which regularly places Public Comment before all other items on its agendas, including its Consent Agenda. Such a change will not interfere with the efficiencies a Consent Agenda allows. It is suggested that the Consent Agenda bear a caption which alerts the public on its right of participation, such as: All matters listed under the consent agenda are considered routine and will be enacted by one motion unless any member of the Commission wishes to remove an item for discussion or a member of the audience wishes to comment on an item. An oral recital of this is simply inadequate notice to the public of their right of participation. Thank you for considering these suggestions as they are intended: for improvement of communication between the Commission and the public.