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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-24-05 Minutes, Study CommissionCity of Bozeman, Montana Study Commission Minutes May 24, 2005 The Study Commission met in regular session in the Commission Room, Municipal Building, at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, 2005. Present were Chair Loren Olsen, Bill Hayward and Brian Close. Also present was Secretary of the Study Commission, Celeste Janssen and John Trull. Marilou Turrentine was absent. The meeting was called to order at 7:09 pm by Chair Loren Olsen. Minutes March 15th minutes from Bill Wise were given to Study Commissioners today. Chair Olsen deferred approving the minutes until the next meeting. May 10th minutes were deferred until the upcoming meeting. Brian Close noted that we discussed salary of commissioners and mayor during the May 10th meeting. Mr. Close stated that he does not believe that salary should be put in the charter. He has researched Bozeman Commissioners' salaries in comparison to other municipalities around Montana, and found that Bozeman Commissioners are paid higher than similar positions elsewhere; some cities offer no salary, such as Belgrade. Administer Oath of Office to new Study Commissioner Marilou Turrentine Clerk of the Commission Robin Sullivan administered the oath of office to new Study Commissioner John Trull, who was appointed by the City Commission to replace Bill Wise. Public comment At Chair Olsen's request, the members of the audience introduced themselves. Present were: Harold Fryslie, Robin Sullivan, John Trull Sr., June Trull, Sean Becker, and Tracy Oulman. Citizens Jury Discussion presentation by Tracy Oulman Tracy Oulman presented on a "Citizen Jury Discussion," which has not yet been used for the City of Bozeman. She is proposing the concept of having a group of people test an idea. She noted that other city staff departments might be interested in the future. She offered to help the Study Commission in the trial run, and from this she could access the usefulness of the technique for the future. Details of the Citizen Jury Discussion: The Citizen Jury Discussion is a great way to get a cross-section of the community without much time or cost. The process could also be called a citizen panel, focus group, etc. To design the Citizen Jury Discussion, there are a lot of options (see shaded gray box of Tracy's document, which is attached in public records). Ms. Oulman envisions an assembled forum of twelve to twenty randomly chosen citizens. The Finance Dept. can generate a random list. This process would weed out special interest groups, help quieter people speak out, and be a great place for the Study Commission to bounce ideas off Bozeman citizens. An alternative could be to identify groups, and have groups send a representative. Ms. Oulman noted that the Chamber of Commerce has a substantial list that may be used for this purpose. To complete the discussion, there must be a direct, clear agenda and timeframe. Ms. Oulman stressed the importance of utilizing staff before the discussion to provide unbiased and informative information to the citizens before the discussion. Limitations for the process include the administrative needs and the attendance of the citizens. Ms. Oulman could assist with attendance by helping the Study Commission collect RSVPs. She proposed giving citizens two or three dates to choose between. As for administration of the process, the Study Commission must identify how to bring the people to the discussion, what format to use, what info to provide, the clear issues of the meeting, and any further logistical info. There should be evaluation forms (Ms. Oulman has templates). Tracy Oulman offered to work with Celeste Janssen, the Study Commission secretary, in keeping an excel data base of outcome results. Ms. Oulman asked the Study Commissioners if they would be interested. Loren Olsen responded that it might be fun to try, but noted that the Study Commission might have to send out a huge number of invitations to get adequate response. Mr. Olsen also questioned if it would be better to focus on general or specific issues. Brian Close responded by stating that he believes that three or four issues would work well, and noted the key to success would be a good facilitator. He wondered if the Community Mediation Center (CIVIC) would be willing to loan someone to facilitate the meeting. Mr. Close also stated that this board has the authority to set up sub- committees made of members and non-members. He wondered if the design could be set up so as to focus on the invited citizens, not special interest groups. Ms. Oulman suggested nametags. She also noted that the City maintains a contract with the CIVIC. Bill Hayward responded by stated that he is hearing that this process might be a plus, and would we like to benefit from it. He believes that this process is a great opportunity for the Study Commission to get input. John Trull responded by stating that he thinks the Study Commission should pursue the process, and is willing to work on it with Ms. Oulman. He asked about the cost of implementing the process. Tracy Oulman responded that the only costs would be a facilitator (possibly) and postage. Bill Hayward asked Ms. Oulman to clarify her part in the process. She is willing to generate a list of people randomly. She is willing to work with a few Study Commissioners to draft a letter. The Study Commission needs to pay postage. She is willing to do a follow up administrative work. Bill Hayward asked what the citizens would be asked to do. Would there be one issue, or several? Would there be set issues, or would the group be open to other issues on occasion? The Study Commission noted the difficulty of reaching people during the summer. Tracy Oulman, Bill Hayward, and John Trull will form a sub -committee to propose a format, work on the prep work, and coordinate with the facilitator. Discussion on the timeline Chair Olsen noted that he received an email from Marilou Turrentine stating that she wanted to go on record as being strongly opposed to the November 2005 timeframe. Brian Close stated that because the Study Commission has two new members, and because his work situation has changed, he is comfortable with reviewing a new timeline in June. Chair Olsen asked for input from all Study Commissioner. He noted the highest citizen voter turnout will be this November, but at this point he believes that the most realistic timeframe will be to put the charter on the ballot in June primary. Mr. Olsen noted the Study Commission could raise interest in the charter by using some of identified charter issues as voter issues. Bill Hayward stated that he still believes the Study Commission will have to put the timeline past the original November 2005 timeframe. John Trull stated that he is in favor of moving back the timeframe as well. He believes that November 2006 might have a better turnout than June 2006. Mr. Trull asked about the process of voting for new commissioners, if the charter adds more seats to the City Commission. Brian Close responded that new Commissioners would be voted on November 2006 if the charter was voted on in June. There is a possibility to use interim commissioners. There also could be a special election. Loren Olsen stated the Study Commission will need a new calendar. Brian Close suggested starting at the June primary date, counting back 75 days, etc. Mr. Close offered to draft a new calendar. He noted that there is a legal obligation to publish the calendar. Celeste Janssen will check with Robin Sullivan on the details. Brian Close noted that during busy summer months, subcommittees could meet even if the Study Commission didn't hold a meeting. He asked for all Study Commissioners to email him dates where they know there will be scheduling conflicts. Discussion of mayoral representation Brian Close led the Study Commission through his document titled "Mayors Office." Regarding board appointments: In Bozeman's current form of government, the only boards Mr. Close is aware of the mayor having appointment powers for is planning and zoning boards. Mr. Close noted that there is complete turnover on these boards every two years. For all the other boards, the City Commission appoints by majority vote. Mayoral appointments were created by state law. The City is permitted to do anything that is not illegal with state or federal law. Mr. Close believes that charter could require board appointments to be staggered. In Montana, Missoula has a strong mayor, and therefore no City Manager. The Mayor is the chief administrator, and gets paid for his job. In Bozeman, the City Manager's relationship with the Mayor is by contract, not by state law. In the National Civic League model, the Mayor is just like any other commissioners, and the City Manager creates the agenda for the meetings. The Mayor's duty is to chair committees, and whatever else the state requires. Bill Hayward noted with our current system, the mayor could never succeed himself. Mr. Hayward questioned if the best mayoral election system for Bozeman should have the mayoral seat two years off and two years on. John Trull stated that because Bozeman's mayor doesn't have much power, the two year training system might not be necessary. Brian Close disagreed, and stated that learning the process takes time. Bill Hayward noted that if the current system is changed, we might give up the learning process, but with our current system, we are giving up year three and year four of a mayor's term. Brian Close stated that even experienced politicians aren't necessarily familiar with the political process, and that most people could not start as a mayor from day one. Mr. Close noted that the first two years of the Mayor -elect's office are still busy. John Trull stated that once that public elects a person, they want to see that person responsible, and questioned our current system. The Study Commission discussed the mayoral role in creating the agenda when there is a controversial topic. June Trull, a member of the audience, suggested that the Study Commission's disagreements would be great subjects for Tracy Oulman's Citizens Jury Discussion. Discuss ideas for Charter that will be recommended to Voters Chair Olsen tabled this agenda item until the June 14th meeting Divide tasks between Commission Members Chair Olsen tabled this agenda item until the June 14th meeting Next Op-ed Loren Olsen offered to draft the second op-ed. The article will explain the form of government Bozeman currently uses (the role of the City Manager, etc). He will state that the Study Commission is interested in changing two or three issues. Brian Close suggested tying in the citizen board. Bill Hayward suggested creating a series for the newspaper, to increase readership. John Trull suggested having the op-ed published right before a Study Commission meeting, to draw citizens to a meeting. Brian Close suggested having different Study Commissioners author different op-eds. Mr. Close and Mr. Olsen will work on the next op-ed together. New Business Chair Olsen noted that the Study Commission received a letter from John Abate. Chair Olsen noted that the Study Commission received an email from Laura Larsson. The Study Commission discussed the planning process. Chair Olsen noted that he had someone tell him that Bozeman needs the appeals board back. Brian Close explained that the appeals board dealt with zoning issues. Chair Olsen noted that the Study Commission had received three voice mails John Trull asked if these emails and voicemails warranted responses. Mr. Olsen stated that he will forward the Larsson's email to the City Manager, and contact the three people that called. John Trull informed the group that Ken Weaver would be willing to do a short training for the Study Commission. Mr. Trull will coordinate setting up the meeting with Ken Weaver, Marilou Turrentine, and himself. He will inform the group with the time and date of the meeting. Confirm date of next meeting The next meeting will be June 14, 2005 in the City Commission Room. Adjournment - 9:42 p.m. There being no further business at this time, it was moved by Brian Close, seconded by Bill Hayward, that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried unanimously. LOREN OLSEN, Chair PREPARED BY: CELESTE JANSSEN, Secretary of the Study Commission