Now that voters have opted to study our form of local government, the next step is to elect five members to serve on the Study Commission. The top 5 vote-getters in the November 5 election will earn a seat at the Commission. Any registered Bozeman voter living in city limits is eligible to run for a seat.

From there, the Study Commission members will research options and come up with a proposal for the public to vote on by November 2026 (or earlier). 

Interested candidates must complete and return a filing form to the Gallatin County Elections Office, located on the second floor of the Gallatin County Courthouse at 311 W Main Street. The filing deadline is August 12.

The estimated cost to perform this study is 1 mill, or $233,000. This includes the cost of two citywide elections, notices for public meetings and hearings of the study commission, the publication of a final report by the study commission, and administrative support from City staff.

The last time the City voted to establish a study commission was in 2004, which resulted in a vote to adopt the charter form of government in 2006. The City’s Charter was put into effect in January 2008. The Charter is a legal document that establishes the powers, structure, and duties of the city, similar to the US Constitution.