What’s possible for Bozeman?

Zachary Krumm
Nov 5 · 6 min read

No matter who wins this election, we should be asking one question: what’s possible for a city like ours? (And is it happening?)

Earlier this year, our incoming mayor asked voters to think about a number of priorities: infrastructure, limited water supply, growth, housing, city finances, labor needs. Ask candidates to “spell out the priorities, details and tradeoffs their proposals would entail,” he pressed. In other words, here is what you should expect from your local government.

Those are all important issues (I and others have put out proposals addressing each of them), yet asking the “set” questions does something else: it says “this is what’s possible.” And if nothing else, this election has been about expanding those boundaries. Should our government intervene in the broken housing market? Are the working poor a task of collective responsibility? Or, as one well-known local developer and business owner put it to me recently, do they need to be taught to “make better choices?” Whose job is it to protect our living environment for future generations? Conservation groups? Individuals? Higher government?

Indeed, the lines have been redrawn already. In the six months I’ve been campaigning, I’ve heard questions from voters that were previously considered off limits–socially, culturally, or legally. So what good is either possible immediately or within reach if we’re willing to put in the work?

13 things that are possible in the next 10 years in Bozeman

Putting millions of dollars into the pockets of Bozeman residents while breaking even on the City budget.

My team and I put together estimates for over 20 policy proposals that I’d like to see implemented over the next ten years. If we spent $100 million dollars over the next decade (less than the new high school), we could do everything listed below and more. Sound like a lot?

For that investment, most households in Bozeman could save an average of $800 a month. That’s over $200,000,000 into the local economy every year, half a billion in economic impact, right where it’s needed most. And it would pay for itself, thanks to grants, savings, and public financing, causing a net surplus to taxpayers.

Permanently solving the housing crisis without overbuilding, displacing the poor, or forcing people into tiny homes.

How does a new 1,500 sq. ft. apartment for $700/month sound? What about rent that rarely goes up and never by much? By protecting tenants, taxing out of state holdings and vacant homes, building social housing, leveraging public financing, and moving existing homes into land trust, we can get ourselves out of boom-and bust housing market that hurts so many, secure permanently affordable housing for future generations, and give them the greatest wealth-building opportunity they’ll ever get.

Taking back our power and creating a needed check on state government.

An activist, far right wing legislature took control of the state legislature in the early 2000’s and used that power to strip local governments of their ability to effectively govern themselves. Instead of trying a strategy that’s doomed to fail–lobbying for a tourist sales tax–we could build a coalition of MT city leaders and lobby for a local powers bill that would restore taxing and regulatory flexibility to local governments in the spirit of the state constitution.

Making sure local government is accountable, equitable, and truly representative.

From the City Commission to city advisory boards, our local government looks very little like our city. We’re younger, poorer, more diverse, and mostly don’t own property, while those who win local elections and get appointed to influential board positions tend to be older, white, male, high income property owners.

We don’t track demographics for public input either, meaning that we don’t know who really gets heard at City Hall. It’s clear that local government is run by elites, for elites. That isn’t democracy, and we can change that.

Measuring the results of local policy and requiring that it produce positive results.

Since we know that local government is dominated by elites, we can’t depend on anecdotal feedback to tell whether policy is working or not. We have very little objective information that tells us whether local policy is actually improving peoples’ lives. And we don’t have broad standards to evaluate against. We can set standards, routinely compile data, and require that policy show improvements over time.

Making our food cheaper, better, and resilient against likely disruptions to global supply chains.

By now everyone should know (and fear) that the future of our global food supply is at serious risk thanks to climate change. We can’t even reliably depend on produce from California anymore. It’s imperative for our survival that we do what’s necessary to develop robust and resilient local food systems, and recruit young people into agriculture and train them.As an added bonus, transportation is the biggest share of food price, so it’s feasible we can pay farmers well, know where our food comes from, and protect ourselves from future supply chain failures.

Closing the Warming Center for good and leaving homelessness in the past.

HRDC does great work, but let’s free them up to focus on long-term success, not emergency aid. Following the lead of dozens of cities around the world, we could build permanent supportive housing for those without, and spend less money than we do today on emergency services.

Getting people around town comfortably and conveniently — reducing traffic and parking gridlock, helping those with disabilities, and saving millions in transportation costs.

A made-for-Bozeman rapid transit bus system, fare free, that makes stops every 15 minutes and covers all of town is within reach — and so soon will be millions in federal grant funds for building it. Transit is the only way to solve the parking crunch long-term, and it’s the best way to help those with disabilities. A fare free

Making millions in low-interest loans for homes, businesses, and public works projects.

Public banking works — it has in North Dakota for a century— by putting the special privileges of the financial system in the hands of the People. Because a public bank has a mandate to operate in the public interest, not for profits, it could provide a low interest backbone for the local economy — saving millions for public works, businesses, and homeowners, and re-lending the profits.

Reducing childhood asthma and public health dangers through rental inspections.

Home living conditions are the greatest cause of childhood asthma. And many public and personal health threats start at home. Today, there is no real enforcement even of basic building code for rentals, because doing so requires a tenant to file a civil suit — something few can afford. Mandatory health and safety inspections would ensure the law is follow and landlords aren’t causing human suffering for an extra dime.

Leveling the balance of power for workers and renters.

60% of Bozeman rents their home. Most wage employees are service workers. These two groups between them make up the majority of our town, yet they lack bargaining power — just look at wages or your average lease — and are often systematically exploited as a result. A local legal aid office specifically for them would provide a much-needed check on employer and landlord power to prevent abuses.

Leading the way in guaranteeing childcare for every family in Gallatin County.

70% of families here with children under 5 (before school age) can’t get childcare. Extending the successful public school model to include auniversal childcare program would change that.

Showing what a transition to new energy technology actually looks like.

Most of us are ready to move from fossil fuels. But there are many layers of resistance to deal with: new generation and distribution models, politics at the state legislature, the will of the Public Service Commission, sources of capital, and the utilities themselves. Instead of promoting weak “incentives,” Bozeman could take initiative by developing pilot projects that test the limits of a renewable energy system in real world conditions. No one in the state is doing it. And it’s the best way to get things moving.


No matter who it is, when your local elected officials talk about their priorities, or say what we “can” and “can’t” do, you should keep in mind that they’re telling you what’s possible in their world (and their imagination). Don’t let them set the limits for you. Hold them accountable for where they draw the lines. What kind of future do you think we can achieve together?

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