HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-04-26 Public Comment - C. Anders - Govt Study and Mayor Comments From: Chase Anders
To: govreveiwCa)bozeman.net; Bozeman Public Comment;commissionC@gallatin.mt.gov; Bozeman Public Comment
Subject: [EXTERNAL]Govt Study and Mayor Comments
Date: Thursday,June 4,2026 7:20:04 AM
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Good Morning,
I am a resident at 1543 Ryun Sun Way, Bozeman, MT 59718. I am writing regarding the
government study proposals and would like to address Deputy Mayor Douglas Fischer's
comments at a recent meeting.
First, I would like to focus on Douglas Fischer's remarks. At that meeting, he stated, "My
recommendation is simple: strike Article VII [the new article that strengthens public
engagement and the neighborhoods program] entirely ... [and] trust future commissions." This
mentality is absurd. Do you really expect residents to simply "trust" future commissioners and
city and county leadership? Time and again, these individuals in leadership roles have
demonstrated that they do not listen to residents and have broken our trust. Remember, the job
is to LISTEN to the constituents you represent and make decisions based on the majority.
Also, Study Commissioner Carson Taylor, residents do not need to be "led towards a better
place." It is quite the opposite; commissioners should be listening to the residents and making
decisions based on their wants and needs.
Secondly, I would like to address the proposals for the city to adopt. Instead of brushing aside
Study Commissioner Deanna Campbell's suggested amendments, I urge you to take her
considerations seriously to address the issues with the proposals. Here are a few things I would
like to suggest:
1.Commission Pay: The proposed Compensation Advisory Board must be entirely
independent by banning sitting politicians from serving on it and removing prescriptive
formulas that slant the language toward higher commissioner pay. If the concern is the number
of hours it takes to serve, the focus must be on streamlining government efficiency and
prioritizing core municipal duties, rather than bloating the system with unnecessary initiatives
that have no net positive impact on the whole of Bozeman residents.
2.Defining the Role of the City Manager: The charter needs clear boundaries that strictly limit
the unelected City Manager to an administrative role,preventing them from driving political
policy or providing political cover for the City Commission.
3.Fiscal Management Guardrails: The Study Commission should immediately subject the
financial section to open public discussion, reject the draft's vague, subjective financial goals,
and revert to the current charter's concrete metrics to guarantee strict fiscal discipline.
4.Advisory Board Transparency & Conflicts of Interest: To stop insider politics, the charter
must require all committee vacancies to be posted publicly, cap advisory service to two
consecutive terms, and enforce strict conflict-of-interest standards that ban members from
serving on boards that make decisions that financially benefit themselves or their employers.
5.Defining Wards and the Role of the Mayor: If voters choose a ward system, the charter must
explicitly mandate that an independent citizen board, not politicians, determine the ward
boundaries, while clearly defining candidate residency requirements and the exact role of the
Mayor.
Thank you for your time
Best Regards,
Chase Anders