The Bozeman Urban Parks and Forestry Board voted unanimously on October 22 to advance implementation of the Parks, Recreation, and Transportation Plan adopted by the city in 2024. Park Planning and Development Manager Addie Jaden presented a draft community engagement plan for updating the city's development code across four themes: equitable access, programs and partnerships, pedestrian and bike facilities, and natural resources. The board provided feedback on stakeholder outreach, project examples, and messaging strategy before staff moves forward with the engagement process. The board also reviewed a framework for relaunching the Parkland Trust community grant program, which will distribute approximately $200,000 in cash-in-lieu funds from developers. Separately, the board adjusted its meeting calendar, moving the November meeting to November 19 and the December meeting to December 14 to avoid holiday conflicts.
The Board of Ethics unanimously approved a redesigned ethics training curriculum for city employees on October 23, marking a substantial revision to a program largely unchanged for six years. The new approach emphasizes small-group discussion and interactive case scenarios rather than technical code reviews, with 30 to 40 sessions scheduled to accommodate shift workers across all city departments beginning the week of November 9. City Attorney Greg Sullivan announced expanded trainer preparation, including a two-hour train-the-trainer session. The board also learned that board member ethics training will shift to January 2027 and will include a new online onboarding curriculum developed in partnership with the Local Government Center. Additionally, the city announced improvements to the financial disclosure process through a new web-based form and clarified retention schedules for required disclosures.
The Transportation Board received a detailed evaluation of the city's Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program on October 28, reviewing results from the first full year following a restructuring to balance city-initiated projects with community requests. Engineer Danae Giunetti reported that the program received 20 applications in 2026, resulting in six new projects after screening. A traffic circle at Yellowstone Avenue near Oak Springs Park achieved a nearly 50 percent reduction in vehicles exceeding 25 miles per hour, while West College Street showed a 2.6 percent decrease in speeding violations. However, some locations reported challenges, including a temporary project at College Street that suffered repeated damage and a traffic circle on Marr between Cascade and Broadwater that showed mixed directional results. Survey response rates remained low despite QR codes at project sites, though 62 percent of pedestrians and cyclists reported feeling safer. The board approved minutes from the September meeting unanimously and scheduled a combined November-December makeup meeting for December 3.