The Bozeman Brief

The Historic Preservation Advisory Board digs into the proposed Local Landmark Program and discovers it's far more complex than anticipated. With consultant Adrienne Burke walking through examples from across the country, the board grapples with how to make landmarks work both inside and outside the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District — and whether creating landmark districts requires going...

Bozeman's Board of Ethics conducted a full mock hearing on March 30th, 2026, complete with fictional characters, objections, and procedural coaching. The board practiced running an ethics complaint hearing from intake through final decision, working through real procedural challenges like evidence disputes and witness examination to prepare for actual cases.

The Urban Parks and Forestry Board approved a community engagement plan for updating Bozeman's Urban Forest Management Plan, unanimously passed the long-awaited Bikeville Community Park master plan, and tabled their own work plan for deeper review next month.

The Gallatin Valley MPO's Transportation Policy Coordinating Committee elected new leadership and adopted the vision, goals, and objectives for the region's Long Range Transportation Plan. The meeting featured spirited debate over speed limits, bicycle infrastructure, and transportation resilience—with three unanimous amendments shaping the final framework that will guide federal transportation fu...

The Bozeman BID Board approved their fiscal year 2027 budget and grappled with a bigger question: what to do with nearly $300,000 in accumulated reserves as the Urban Renewal District sunsets. The board also discussed downtown public safety, the federal building opportunity, and the need for a comprehensive downtown public realm plan.

The Transportation Advisory Board met on March 25th without a quorum, preventing any official votes. Despite the technical limitations, two community members offered compelling public comments: one on pedestrian safety education and personal responsibility, and another on creating a reliable map of EV charging stations to address range anxiety in rural Montana.

The Bozeman City Study Commission examines three electoral models — at-large, ward-based, and hybrid — to decide how commissioners should be elected. With a tight August ballot deadline, commissioners hear from expert Dan Clark about trade-offs in representation, cost, and governance, while wrestling with questions about neighborhood councils, campaign finance, and whether recent state legislation...

The Bozeman City Commission tackles a contentious subdivision appeal, adopts a $300 million capital improvement plan, and proclaims April 5th as First Contact Day. This episode covers the Sundance Springs commercial development ruling, department operations highlights, and community priorities for the coming year.

The Sustainability Advisory Board held its March 11th, 2026 meeting covering two major topics. Chair Brooke Lahneman presented an update on the Integrated Water Resources Plan, outlining ten categories of water supply alternatives being considered by the Water Advisory Committee, including expanded groundwater development, non-potable irrigation systems, snow management strategies, and potential i...

The GVMPO Transportation Technical Advisory Committee held its quarterly in-person meeting to review construction projects and planning initiatives across the region for 2026 and beyond. Belgrade highlighted major upcoming projects including the Cruiser intersection improvements with a roundabout and signalized intersection, North Jackrabbit school zone safety improvements, and East Madison Avenue...

The Bozeman City Commission held its March 10, 2026 meeting to address several key items including approval of a community engagement plan for the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) design guidelines update. The commission heard presentations from Deputy Director Rebecca Harbage and consulting firm the Lakota Group about their comprehensive public engagement strategy, which includes...

The Downtown Area Urban Renewal District Board met on March 10, 2026, to review budget proposals and key operational initiatives. Executive Director Ellie Staley presented the 2027-2028 biennial budgets, featuring an 8% operational increase and significant infrastructure improvements including potential expansion of the urban renewal district to include the federal building for parking garage deve...

The Board of Ethics reviewed and approved minutes from previous meetings and adopted the 2025 Annual Ethics Report for transmittal to the City Commission. The board engaged in an extensive discussion of their work plan to revise the Code of Ethics, focusing on the charter provisions, declaration of policy, and standards of conduct sections. Key topics included whether vague language like "act mora...

The Bozeman City Study Commission held its March 5th meeting to review draft charter language and discuss the structure of city government. Commissioners reviewed proposed amendments to sections 2.01, 2.03, and 2.06 regarding the mayoral election process, elimination of the deputy mayor position, vice mayor appointment procedures, and vacancy filling processes, with implementation planned for 2029...

The Bozeman Economic Vitality Board met on March 4, 2026, to review and approve work plans for the Belonging in Bozeman initiative and discuss board involvement in upcoming economic development and housing projects. The board unanimously approved the 2026-2027 work plan for Belonging in Bozeman, which prioritizes implementing the plan's recommendations, providing vendor training for city contracts...

The Bozeman City Commission held its March 3rd meeting addressing community safety concerns following recent tragedies, including the death of Leslie Brown, a nurse killed in a traffic accident on Oak Street, and a high school student's suicide. The commission discussed implementing a work session focused on street safety and traffic improvements, with Deputy Mayor Fischer and other commissioners...

The Urban Parks and Forestry Board met on February 26, 2026, to discuss the BikeVille Community Park project and the Urban Forestry Management Plan. Following extensive public comment from community members and environmental organizations regarding wildlife protection and habitat conservation, the board heard presentations on the results of public engagement efforts that included over 1,000 survey...

The Transportation Board held an abbreviated February 25th, 2026 meeting without a quorum, focusing primarily on staff updates from Director Nick Ross. Key project announcements included the North 27th Street project bidding on March 4th, upcoming street maintenance contracts with significant pedestrian safety improvements totaling around $200,000 on Babcock and North 15th Streets, and progress on...

The Bozeman City Commission held a hearing on February 24, 2026, to consider an appeal of a conditional approval for the Sundance Springs Commercial Lot 2 development. Staff presented findings that the site plan complies with current 2025 code standards, though lighting requirements for residentially adjacent properties need adjustment before final approval. Key disputes centered on whether a 1997...

The Bozeman Community Development Board held its third meeting on February 23, 2026, focusing on board training for reviewing zone map amendments and appeals of administrative decisions. The board approved minutes from the February 2 meeting and voted to cancel the March 16 spring break meeting due to lack of pending business. The bulk of the session consisted of comprehensive training led by Chri...

The Tax Increment Finance Advisory Board met on February 19, 2026, to discuss the Light Conversion USA improvement project and the Midtown district budget. The board reviewed a TIF assistance request from Light Conversion USA (formerly Altos Photonics) for approximately $543,000 to cover demolition costs, public infrastructure improvements including alley and sidewalk work, and water and sewer con...

The Bozeman Historic Preservation Advisory Board held a meeting on February 18, 2026, featuring a special presentation by the Lakota Group on updates to the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) guidelines. The presentation covered the firm's approach to revising design guidelines through community engagement, emphasizing best practices in historic preservation that balance economic de...

The Bozeman City Study Commission held its February 18, 2026 meeting to advance work on proposed charter amendments. The commission approved a revised timeline for charter development, pushing final approval to late August to avoid the busy Fourth of July period while maintaining the August 10 deadline for ballot language submission to the county election office. The group also voted to issue a re...

The Bozeman Downtown Business Improvement District Board discussed their fiscal 2027 budget, proposing a 5% increase to $295,000 in assessment revenue to cover operational costs including an 8% increase in the management fee for the Downtown Partnership due to staffing changes and cost of living adjustments. The board approved moving forward with the budget framework and scheduled a final vote for...

The Gallatin Valley MPO Technical Advisory Committee approved the revised Long Range Transportation Plan vision, goals, and objectives document in their February meeting. The revised document, which will be forwarded to the Transportation Policy Coordinating Committee, reflects feedback from both the technical committee and policy-level staff, including separation of system preservation and resili...