As Bozeman has grown , so has civic engagement, but without a big picture understanding of city operations, people can be left feeling like their voices were not heard. Something frustrating for citizens speaking up and city leadership including Bozeman Mayor Joey Morrison.
“I’m pretty consistently hearing from community members that are hungry for meaningful ways to be engaged and better understand the ins and outs of the city.” Mayor Morrison says not long ago the city of Bozeman had more than forty advisory boards, which provided local insight and opinions for making decisions but also posed logistical challenges. As the city modernized city systems and paired down advisory boards, Morrison said there was an unintended loss.
“ What we lost is folks feeling like they are getting to put their, you know, their soul or the soul of their neighborhood into, you know, the sort of bureaucracy of, of local governments. And I, and I think that's cost us “
A new Civics academy launching this fall is intended to rebalance the scales offering more opportunities for people to help shape their city. The course will meet for seven sessions and go through every department of the city, including fiscal, parks and rec, information technology, and human resources. “So if you are trying to get a holistic understanding from just city commission meetings , you’re going to miss the majority of city operations.”
Mayor Morrison said he had some understanding before taking office, but had to learn a lot about the city on the job.
“Yeah I would have been pretty excited about something like this.”Morrison says perhaps the program can also better prepare citizens interested in running for local office.The pilot program starts this fall, but the city hopes to continue the program if it sees continued interest.
For more information on the academy and how to register is on the Bozeman city website .
