HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-04-26 Public Comment - C. Anders - Govt Study and Mayor CommentsFrom:Chase Anders
To:govreveiw@bozeman.net; Bozeman Public Comment; commission@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'scomments 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 publicengagement and the neighborhoods program] entirely … [and] trust future commissions.” This
mentality is absurd. Do you really expect residents to simply "trust" future commissioners andcity 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 jobis 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 betterplace." 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 asideStudy 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 wouldlike to suggest:
1.Commission Pay: The proposed Compensation Advisory Board must be entirely
independent by banning sitting politicians from serving on it and removing prescriptiveformulas 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 andprioritizing 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 limitthe 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 thefinancial 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 chartermust 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 fromserving 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 mustexplicitly mandate that an independent citizen board, not politicians, determine the ward
boundaries, while clearly defining candidate residency requirements and the exact role of theMayor.
Thank you for your time
Best Regards,
Chase Anders