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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-13-05 Minutes, Study CommissionMINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CITY OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDY COMMISSION September 13, 2005 The Study Commission met in regular session in the Commission Room, Municipal Building, at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 13, 2005. Present were Chair Loren Olsen, Brian Close, Bill Hayward, John Trull and Marilou Turrentine. Also present was Secretary of the Study Commission Celeste Janssen. The meeting was called to order by Chair Loren Olsen at 7:13 p.m. Minutes — September 6th and June 28tn Marilou Turrentine motioned to approve the minutes of September 6th as amended. John Trull seconded the motion. Minutes passed unanimously. John Trull motioned to approve the minutes of June 28th as amended. Bill Hayward seconded the motion. Minutes passed unanimously. Public comment No public comment was received under this agenda item. Loren Olsen informed the Study Commission that Sean Becker (City Commission candidate) is interested in working with a subcommittee. John Trull informed the Study Commission that he spoke with MSU Economics and Political Science Professor Linda Young. Professor Young would be willing to act as an informed citizen with mediation experience. Mr. Trull believes she would be excellent at helping subcommittees form topics. Mr. Trull said that Jane Jelinski could also be an invaluable resource to the subcommittees. Marilou Turrentine said she was planning on contacting Ms. Jelinski. Subcommittee Reports Transparency subcommittee: Bill Hayward and Marilou Turrentine met with Tracy Oulman yesterday. One of the 150 random surveys was sent to Marilou Turrentine's husband, and therefore the Study Commission is now working from a pool of 149. Marilou Turrentine noted that The Bozeman Chronicle was incorrect in stating that the first Citizen Panel would be on October 8th. Loren Olsen will email the correction to the paper. John Trull asked what the Transparency topic would cover. Bill Hayward responded that Transparency would include access to information by the public, the posting of notices, the size of a given "affected area", the stage at which issues are brought before the public, and public finance. The subcommittee will give the citizen panel some written background, and then solicit from the panel perceived problems, listen to suggested solutions, or collect opinions on a given list. At the end of the panel, the subcommittee would like to ask the moderator to interpret what was learned in the session. Marilou Turrentine added that they were talking about making a recommendation to formalize Tracy's position. They were thinking of explain to the panel what the process may be, including drafting a charter, making a recommendation, or requiring an ordinance. Choice voting: Brian Close would like to have two pro -positions to give out on all controversial issues at the second citizen panel. He will write one -side of the arguments, but he would like another Study Commissioner to write pro -arguments for the other side. Mr. Close said he would gladly help any one in the formulation of arguments. John Trull informed the group on the issues that the second panel will focus on: choice voting vs. plurality voting, directly -elected mayor vs. top -vote getter mayor. They need to give out information about the mayor's office and how it is currently constructed. Loren Olsen stated that he would like mayoral duties discussed. The Study Commission will not present or ask for opinions on wards. The Study Commission had a brief discussion on the merits of five vs. seven member commissioners. This issue will be discussed in depth in the future. Appeal and planning: Loren Olsen emailed Harry Kirshenbaum, Chair of the Planning Board, to set up a meeting. Loren Olsen, Brian Close, and John Trull all are interested and have volunteered to be on this subcommittee. Mr. Olsen informed the Study Commission that he met with Chris Kukulski, and Mr. Olsen believes that Mr. Kukulski would be in favor of giving the planning board more authority. New business Montana Center for International Visitors will be bringing five Russians to Bozeman, and the theme of their visit is "local government." MCIV would like the Study Commission to meet with the visitors on October 7m That date works well for John Trull, Brian Close, Bill Hayward, Loren Olsen, and secretary Celeste Janssen. Celeste Janssen reported on the website. The Study Commission will be able to post charter drafts on the website, similar to an email format. Charter 101 The Study Commission had a conversation about the best way to proceed. Members are anxious to begin drafting the Charter. They understand that they are working on a timeline. They also understand that they must be familiar with the NCL Model Charter, and the differences between the Model Charter and Bozeman's practices. The Study Commission decided to begin work on the document during meetings, using a projector and laptop. For the majority of the meetings, the Study Commission will meet upstairs, in the conference room of the municipal building. A tape recorder will be used to aid the secretary in taking minutes and working on the document at the same time. The Charter will be backed up with CDs after every working session, and can be posted online. The Study Commission agreed to start from the National Civic League Model City Charter. This document gives the Study Commission a good defensible position. The Model City Charter is a working model, and every Article and Section will be carefully evaluated. Every change in Bozeman's current practice will be carefully considered. Loren Olsen and John Trull also urged to keeping the charter as short as possible. Marilou Turrentine mentioned that the Study Commission wants to see financials on the first Tuesday of every month. The Study Commission would like to add a meeting on October 4th, and officially cancel the meeting on September 27tn Confirming date for next meetin September 20th, upstairs in Conference Room at 7:00 p.m. Adjournment - 9:09 p.m. There being no further business at this time, it was moved by Brian Close, seconded by Bill Wise, that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried unanimously. LOREN OLSEN, Chair ATTEST: CELESTE JANSSEN, Secretary of the Study Commission