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Home My WebLink About08-02-26 Public Comment - R. Thorp - Taxpayer-Funded Tenant Right to CounselFrom:Renee Thorp To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]Taxpayer-Funded Tenant Right to Counsel Date:Sunday, August 2, 2026 2:03:26 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. Commissioners, Since 1976, we have worked hard to be members of this community and while we have built a 3-plex and a 4-plex since that time we have kept our rents below market and also kept ourunits in very good condition. In almost 50 years, we have only had a handful of disputes with our tenants who have not complied with the lease they signed and the Landlord Tenant Lawsof Montana. We are very concerned about the current allocation of funds for Taxpayer- Funded Lawyers for Tenant's Right to Counsel while not providing the same for Landlords. Our concerns are as follows: #1 We do not believe the City of Bozeman should be interfering with legal contracts between two private parties. #2 While differences between two parties (good or bad) the city should allow the two partiesto reconcile their differences as they have in the past without the city favoring one party over another in a legal contract. #3 If the city is to pay for tenant's attorneys -which we do not believe as taxpayers shouldoccur - then the city should also be obligated to pay the landlord's attorney's fees if the tenant has not complied with the lease they signed and/or the Montana Landlord Tenant Laws. Remember, there can be poor landlords, as well as poor tenants. Why would the city favor one party over the other? It is unbelievable to us that the city is even using tax payer moniesto facilitate one party over another and allocating monies for this purpose. By using tax dollars to fund private legal disputes, those monies and your decisions are now diverting funds which should be used for your municipal duties to the general public ofBozeman. John K Thorp Renee C ThorpBozeman, MT