HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-23-26 Public Comment - J. Webster - OZ… “Emerald City” or Something Else_From:Jim Webster
To:Bozeman Public Comment; Joey Morrison; Douglas Fischer; Jennifer Madgic; Emma Bode; Alison Sweeney;Chuck Winn; Scott Boyd; Noah ten Broek
Subject:[EXTERNAL]OZ… “Emerald City” or Something Else?
Date:Tuesday, June 23, 2026 5:08:45 AM
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The reality of Opportunity Zones (OZ) once again give us a tough choice to make. At their
best, they can invigorate areas that might not otherwise attract investment (think
Bozeman’s Idaho Pole site in the Northeast Neighborhood), or do they often just help
developers and investors who don’t really need it, as the project was already on the
launch pad and had capital that was going towards it regardless (think Bozeman Square
on N7th at the old K-Mart location. Bozeman Square is already slated to break ground
later this year with or without OZ funding.
Some would say that if we don’t try to grab federal dollars that are out there, someone
else will (like maybe another city in MT). It takes guts to stand up and do the right thing
and with the Nation’s budget deficit at an all-time high, doing the right thing here actually
means something. We can use the age-old excuse that others will get funds if we don’t
apply, or we can set an example of utilizing a program like OZ for the purpose that it was
actually meant for. That is point number 1.
Point number 2 is that this item is being brought forth as a consent agenda item and as
such, is not accorded the same level of public discussion that placing it on the regular
agenda as an “action item,” would.
Now I don’t profess to know all the ins and outs of city policy, but it would be
interesting to give our community a ”swing at the ball,” here. It would seem only fair to
let the public weigh in on this issue and it might be good to see what feedback the city
garnered on it. As it is early morning today on June 23rd and I’m seated on a plane
heading out of town, I’ll have to limit myself to public comment, as I can’t be there
tonight at the commission meeting when this comes up. May you all at least have a
discussion at the Commission level regarding this as it does give you a chance to
exercise your judgement as to what should be done and how federal dollars should be
spent. Thank you for your consideration and good luck tonight!
Respectfully,
Jim Webster
Bozeman Resident
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