Bozeman State of the City presentation addresses DEI, housing

BOZEMAN, Mont. — On Monday, Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham gave the annual State of the City presentation.

Cunningham focused on the many ways that Bozeman serves as a trailblazer in the state, including ongoing efforts to become the first in the state to have an internationally accredited fire station, being the only community in the state to have a school resource officer K-9 trained to sniff out explosives and becoming the first to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion with the passing of the Belonging in Bozeman plan.

"I am proud that we are the first city in Montana to adopt a diversity, equity and inclusion plan, and I'm proud to talk about it,” said Cunningham.

Initiatives highlighted under the Belonging in Bozeman plan include ADA-accessible parks, translation services and the Snow Angels program.

With the debut of the city’s new solid waste organics management program this spring, Bozeman will also become the first in the state to offer municipal compost collection services.

“Organics, especially food waste, have the highest level of methane of whatever we put in our landfill. So keeping it out of the landfill is really important,” said Cunningham. “Very soon, you're going to have the option of regular garbage pickup, recycling, garbage pickup and organics, including yard clippings and leaves, etc., where these will be used in a positive way and kept out of our landfill.”

Cunningham also touched on housing, a topic that was front and center at last year’s State of the City presentation.

“There is a need for long-term deed-restricted housing for our workforce to make sure that snowplow drivers, school bus drivers, teachers, etc., can live in this community,” said Cunningham.

Cunningham said there are currently 1,600 affordable units in the pipeline. He also said there is a need for more starter homes, something city commissioners are currently working to generate more of through the Affordable Housing Ordinance.

“When we, as a commission, talk about our vision for the future, it's neighborhoods that have a variety of housing types that go everywhere, from single-family to townhomes to row homes to smaller apartment buildings and neighborhood commercial, because we believe that the co-location of people in different stages of their life, different needs, different economic situations, is a great thing for the entire area,” said Cunningham.

Cunningham also discussed efforts in place to plan for the future of Bozeman and areas where city officials are seeking community feedback, including urban forestry, water resources, mental and behavioral health resources and transportation planning.