Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Bozeman public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
19 issues in taxes budget with high priority
Potential $40 million MDT federal funding gap
MDT may have to return roughly $40 million in federal redistribution funds because the state lacks matching dollars — about $4.5 million at a 13% match rate. Chair Chad Mozol floated the idea of local governments providing match to keep the money here.
Urban Renewal and Technology District budgets
The URD is proposing a study area expansion east along Olive toward Bozeman Creek, tied to potential projects including the federal building parking site and Bozeman Creek improvements. A resolution could go to the Commission by end of August.
Community Ballot Issues Work Session
The Commission will hold an October 6 work session on possible ballot measures for November 2027 — ideas include a fourth fire station, an affordable housing levy, a west-side library, EMS, and mental health response. Fischer wants neighborhood input on what services are worth asking voters to fund.
Community Grant Program returns for FY27
The parks community grant program that funded eight local projects last cycle will return with $210,000, with applications opening in October and board approvals targeted for February 2026. A board member asked to revisit the grant evaluation process next month since new members weren't part of the original design.
FY27 Property Tax Mill Levies
The Commission adopted the annual stack of assessments: $295,000 for the downtown BID, $583,600 for lighting districts, and delinquent snow, weed, and utility charges — all billed through county property tax statements.
FY2027 BID Budget and Assessment Rate
Flower baskets faded early this year thanks to heat, drought and aphids. Staff and Oak Gardens are planning more watering, faster removal of dead baskets and possibly a midsummer preventive spray next season. Year-to-date maintenance stats show slightly fewer trash and recycling pickups and notably more graffiti removal than last year.
South Bozeman Technology District TIF extension
The city is issuing about $3.9M in bonds to reimburse the innovation campus developer for public infrastructure, extending the TIF district up to 25 years. Dozens of residents, mostly MSU students, objected, tying campus tenants like Reveal Technology to military technology and the Gaza war. Commissioners said the 2022 development agreement left them little choice but signaled future policy work on TIF ethics criteria.
Potential voter-approved investments: library, fire station, aquatic center, housing
West-end fire response times are creeping toward 10 minutes, and the commission will discuss possible ballot asks — fire station, library, swim center, mental-health response — on October 6. Fischer warned that long, complicated ballots train voters to say no, and reps asked why a rolling ballot or a combined civic campus couldn't work.
2026-2027 CLG Preservation Grant
Bozeman is creating a program to recognize and potentially protect historic and cultural sites beyond the NCOD, without the rigid National Register bar. Board members weighed flexible 'one or more' criteria, landscape landmarks like Pete's Hill, and how designation would interact with state land-use law.
Commission Budget and Ballot Issues Preview
Tax rates get set Aug 18 with taxable value lower than expected — possibly hitting the levy cap or forcing cuts. October talks will look at 2027 ballot asks for a fourth fire station, a pool, and a housing fund.
Ballot education campaign for the charter vote
The Danegeld consulting firm will educate voters on the charter ballot question. Commissioners debated how to measure outreach to disengaged voters and when to pick a budget tier.
Ballot education campaign with Danegeld
The commission committed $65,000 more to Danegeld's voter education campaign — mailers, TV, radio and social ads — with a detailed plan and sample graphics due July 15. One commissioner abstained, calling the commitment reckless without a plan.
FFY 2027 federal planning budget and funding squeeze
The MPO adopted its annual federal planning budget of roughly $600,000, but state deductions and office overhead are draining about $50,000 a year, raising the possibility that the next long-range plan could need partner cost-sharing.
Commissioner compensation
The draft creates a compensation board and a formula tied to area median income. Multiple speakers called the formula too prescriptive, worried it triggers employee wage-and-hour rules, and warned it could sink the whole charter at the ballot.
ADA coordinator and disability liaison budget cuts
The city's proposed budget drops the ADA coordinator and disability liaison positions. The former liaison warned the commission that cutting them right before the ADA's 36th anniversary sends the wrong message and sets accessibility work up to fail.
Proposed amendments to the Bozeman City Charter
The study commission is line-by-line editing the draft 2026 charter that will go before voters. Changes this session cover eligibility for office, neighborhood association governance, court independence, and the city manager's role. The tentative report comes out June 4 with a public hearing June 18.
Tax increment funding for downtown hotel sewer repairs
The URD's first infrastructure grant sends about $372,000 in tax increment financing toward sewer work for a luxury hotel project. Supporters say it upgrades century-old utilities for nine properties; critics say the hotel would be built anyway and TIF should fund flood mitigation instead.
City Commission Priorities Work Plan
The commission's annual-ish to-do list was up for review — this is where commissioners signal what projects and policies the city will prioritize next.
FY2027-31 Capital Improvements Plan
During neighborhood updates, a rep flagged that the city is carrying roughly $389 million in deferred maintenance, which he noted sits awkwardly beside a clean audit and praised Deputy Mayor Fischer for tracking.