HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-18-26 Public Comment - D. Carty - Public Comment, 6-18-26, Draft City Charter; Section 2.04 - Compensation and Expenses From: Daniel Carty
To: Bozeman Goverment Study Commission
Cc: Bozeman Public Comment
Subject: [EXTERNAL]Public Comment,6-18-26,Draft City Charter;Section 2.04-Compensation and Expenses
Date: Thursday,June 18,2026 9:47:28 AM
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June 18, 2026; 9:45 a.m.
Dear Bozeman Study Commission:
I am writing to offer comments and suggestions on Section 2.04 - Compensation;
Expenses.
The current City Charter draft reads as follows: "The city commission shall appoint a
city compensation board - to determine the annual salaries of the mayor and
commissioners. The compensation board shall include two commissioners, the city's chief
financial officer and four residents who are registered voters and live full-time in the
city. Compensation for commissioners and the mayor shall be determined based on an
appropriate percentage of a full-time equivalent of the Gallatin County Area Median Income
for a household of four. For each fiscal year, the compensation board shall determine the
number of hours per week commissioners and the mayor are expected to work in order to
calculate the specific annual compensation amount. The mayor and commission members
shall receive their actual ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of
their duties of office."
My comments and suggestions are as follows:
(1) To minimize bias in determining annual compensation, the current draft City Charter
language should be amended to read that no elected City officials, City employees, or
anyone with a direct financial interest in City contracts or City finances can be a member of
the Compensation Board. Instead, the Compensation Board should be made up of five
or seven (odd number) disinterested Bozeman residents whose primary residence (i.e., live
full-time) is within City limits and who are registered to vote within City limits.
(2) In addition, to determine annual compensation, I support language suggested in a
recent public comment submitted by Natsuki Nakamura (6-15-26), which reads: "The
Compensation Board shall convene annually to assess and determine compensation for
Commissioners and the Mayor for the subsequent fiscal year, taking into consideration the
most recent AMI (Area Median Income) of Bozeman."I agree with Ms. Nakamura's public
comment that "Clear but non-prescriptive language would give the board the ability to
change or maintain the compensation, consider what % of AMI is fair, and any pay
differential between the Mayor and Commissioners."
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Daniel Carty
213 N. 3rd Ave.
Bozeman, MT 59715