The Bozeman City Study Commission met Wednesday evening to review and approve educational materials for the November ballot vote on the proposed amended charter. Guests from Dane Geld, the commissioned engagement firm, presented multiple materials including a PowerPoint presentation, trifold brochure, website updates, and digital advertisements.
The commission made several refinements to the materials during the meeting. Most notably, commissioners requested that the presentation and brochure highlight four key changes to the charter rather than three: the 4-year mayoral term, expanded public engagement (now specified as Article 8), compensation board changes, and City Commission vacancy procedures. Commissioners also requested language clarifying that suboptions on the ballot will only take effect if the amended charter is adopted by voters.
Deanna Campbell emphasized the importance of campaign finance attribution on all materials and ensuring that Article 8 is specifically referenced to help voters locate the public engagement provisions in the actual charter document. The website homepage will be updated by end of week to consolidate resources and provide direct links to the proposed charter and comparison documents.
Materials approval: A motion was made to approve the graphics and central copy for ongoing ballot education materials. The motion passed 4-0, with representatives from Dane Geld also present and supporting the materials.
The commission also voted on final report approval. The report was reformatted to meet ADA requirements, including a searchable table of contents with hyperlinks to sections such as Article 8. A motion to approve the final report as written passed 4-0. Commissioners will sign the report again to provide the county with an official final version without draft watermarks.
Materials will be printed by Friday through Color World, with 1,000 brochures initially ordered. Mike Maas, ex officio member, will now manage the engagement timeline spreadsheet and coordinate material storage at City Hall. The commission discussed print timelines, requesting a minimum of 3–5 days lead time for future print jobs.
Future meetings: The commission scheduled two additional meetings. A motion to meet on September 24 and October 14 passed 4-0. These meetings will allow commissioners to gather feedback from community events and make any necessary adjustments to educational materials based on public questions or concerns.
The commission also approved minutes from the August 6 meeting 4-0 and adjourned at 5:32 PM.