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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-29-26 Public Comment - E. Kelly - June 23 commentFrom:City of Bozeman, MT To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]*NEW SUBMISSION* Public Comment Form - City Clerk Date:Monday, June 29, 2026 2:40:53 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. Public Comment Form - City Clerk Submission #:4917222 IP Address:37.19.210.12 Submission Date:06/29/2026 2:40 Survey Time:4 minutes, 2 seconds You have a new online form submission. Note: all answers displaying "*****" are marked as sensitive and must be viewed after your login. Read-Only Content Full Name Emily Kelly Email ekellyra@gmail.com Phone (406) 595-4873 Comments I read the attached comments at the June 23 meeting. But due to the time limitation it was done very fast and may have not been fully understood. Additionally, none of my comments were addressed during the discussion about budget, so I want to make sure the commission is aware that these concerns are still out there and I would appreciate the favor of a reply. Thank you, Emily Kelly If you would like to submit additional documents (.pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .gif, .jpg, .png, .rtf, .txt) along with your comment, you may alternately address comments@bozemanmt.gov directly to ensure receipt of all information. Commission_Statement_6-23_FINAL for publication.pdf Thank you, City Of Bozeman This is an automated message generated by Granicus. Please do not reply directly to this email. PUBLIC COMMENT STATEMENT Bozeman City Commission Re: DURD FY2027 Budget — Tax Increment Financing Eligibility June 23, 2026 Good evening, Mayor and Commissioners. My name is EMILY KELLY, homeowner in Baxter Meadows. Thank you for the opportunity to address the Commission regarding the FY2027 Downtown Urban Renewal District budget. I would like to raise some questions about the TIF eligibility of certain line items. I do so in the hope that a brief review will help the Commission with their decision tonight. The governing framework for TIF expenditures is Ordinance No. 1409, adopted in 1995. The Finance section lists every action item and its authorized funding sources — that list is the ceiling on permissible TIF spending.1 2 I have reviewed the FY2027 Work Plan against that Finance section and found several items that appear questionable or without TIF basis. For example: The Downtown Bozeman Partnership Management Fee ($270,600). The Finance section’s “Organization” category contemplated the Improvement District Board — a public entity — not a private nonprofit. The DBP did not exist when the district was created, and TIF is not listed as a source for private organizational overhead.3 DBIP General Implementation ($200,000) is described as “flexible funding to respond to projects as they arise.” While planning has some basis in Ordinance 1409, an open- ended pool with no specific project authorization was not the intent. TIF eligibility is determined project by project.4 Streetlamp Power Reconfiguration / SILD Planning ($50,000) is explicitly described as planning for a successor lighting district ahead of the 2032 DURD sunset. Lighting improvements are TIF-eligible under Ordinance 1409 — planning for the district’s replacement is not.5 Finally, the Parking Supply / Management Plan & Data Collection ($5,000,000) warrants particular attention given its scale. Parking supply is TIF-eligible, but allocating $5 million to plan a future partnership is categorically different from providing parking spaces. The public record shows no named partner, and no signed agreement. Under MCA §7-15-4292, funds are only sheltered from distribution upon TIF termination if tied 1Ordinance No. 1409, Finance Section, Film 159, p. 1450 (City of Bozeman, 1995). 2Ordinance No. 1409, Finance Section, Film 159, pp. 1450–1451. 3Ordinance No. 1409, Finance Section, Film 159, p. 1451 (“Organization” funding sources). 4Ordinance No. 1409, Finance Section, Film 159, pp. 1450–1451; DURD FY2027 Work Plan & Budget (Final). 5DURD FY2027 Work Plan & Budget (Final); Ordinance No. 1409, Finance Section, Film 159, p. 1451 (“Lighting” funding sources). to a binding loan commitment, construction contract, or development agreement — a work plan line item does not qualify.6 I recognize these provisions can be read differently, and I raise these questions without any suggestion of improper intent. I have relied solely on publicly available records. I respectfully ask the Commission, before approving this budget, to request a legal determination — on the record — of which expenditures are affirmatively authorized by Ordinance 1409’s Finance section. Thank you. 6MCA §7-15-4292(2)(b)(i); DURD FY2027 Work Plan & Budget (Final).