Bozeman’s Charter Vote: What’s on Your November Ballot?
Bozeman voters will decide November 3 whether to change the rules guiding city government. The Bozeman Study Commission’s proposed amended charter addresses representation, mayoral service and public participation, while giving voters several choices about how their city commission should look.
A city charter serves as the framework for local government. Here’s what voters will be deciding:
- Adopt the amended charter or keep the current one. The main question asks whether Bozeman should approve the proposed charter or continue operating under its existing 2006 charter.
- Expand the city commission? Voters can keep four commissioners plus the mayor, or increase that number to six commissioners plus the mayor—expanding the governing body from five members to seven.
- Require commissioners to represent geographic areas? Voters will choose whether commissioners must live in designated wards, or continue allowing candidates to live anywhere within city limits.
- Who votes for ward commissioners? If wards are approved, voters will decide whether each commissioner is elected by voters citywide or only by voters living within that commissioner’s ward.
Those three additional choices take effect only if the amended charter passes. If voters reject it, the existing charter remains in place regardless of the other results. See the city’s ballot guide.
The proposed charter also includes:
- A change for the mayor: The elected mayor would serve the full term as mayor, eliminating the initial two years as deputy mayor. Commissioners would select a vice mayor.
- Public involvement provisions: The charter would clarify roles for neighborhood associations, the Inter-Neighborhood Council and city boards. Read the city’s explanation.
Want to learn more before voting? The League of Women Voters will host a Bozeman Study Commission Election Education Forum on September 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bozeman Public Safety building on Rouse. The forum will help residents understand the proposals before casting their November ballots.
Carson Taylor and Becky Franks from the Bozeman Study Commission joined Dave Wooten on the KSKY Morning Show to explain how they came up with the changes that voters will vote on in November. Listen below:
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