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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-15-26 Public Comment - N. Nakamura - South Bozeman Technology TIF DistrictFrom:Natsuki Nakamura To:David Fine; Bozeman Public Comment; Alison Sweeney Subject:[EXTERNAL]South Bozeman Technology TIF District Date:Wednesday, April 15, 2026 10:53:42 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. Please share this comment with the TIF board in advance of their 4/16 meeting. As a disclosure, I am a member of the City's Economic Vitality Board, but speaking only as anindividual. Dear TIF board, Thank you for serving on this board. I am grateful that Bozeman has a TIF board to discuss the various proposals for TIF funds. This comment is only from me as an individual, but as amember of our City's Economic Vitality Board, I would like to share two of the oral public comments that we received at our March meeting raising concerns about the Montana StateUniversity Innovation Campus, which is within the South Bozeman Technology District and is on the proposed budget to receive more TIF funds. The comments from community members (recording here, timestamp 8;30 to 13:40) raiseconcerns about Innovation Campus tenants' ties to war profiteering. Tenants of the Innovation Campus include Reveal Technology and the Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp Hub, self-described as "Montana's local front door to the Department of War." I share concerns about the use of these TIF funds, which divert potentially $3.6 million of Bozeman tax dollars to reimburse infrastructure costs of the Innovation Campus, especially inlight of City staff and Commissioners time and again expressing concerns about not having enough funds to staff sufficient firefighters and build a new fire station, build affordablehousing, consider a new library out west, or improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety at intersections tragically known to be dangerous. I understand that the South Bozeman Technology District was created to attract tech jobs, butwould like to see our tax dollars spent differently. Thank you for your consideration, Natsuki Nakamura