Executive Branch
The Manager is hired to serve the Commission and the community and to bring to the local government the benefits of training and experience in administering local government projects and programs on behalf of the governing body. The Manager prepares a budget for the Commission's consideration; recruits, hires, and supervises the government's staff; serves as the Commission's chief adviser; and carries out the Commission's policies. Commission members and citizens count on the Manager to provide complete and objective information, pros and cons of alternatives, and long-term consequences.
Judicial Branch
The City of Bozeman is a City Commission/City Manager from of government with an elected Municipal Judge. As prescribed by state law the Municipal Court defines the judicial branch of our city government. Its purpose is to provide fair and impartial justice.
Legislative Branch
The Commission is the legislative body; its members are the community's decision makers. Power is centralized in the elected Commission, which approves the budget and determines the tax rate, for example. The Commission also focuses on the community's goals, major projects, and such long-term considerations as community growth, land use development, capital improvement plans, capital financing, and strategic planning. The Commission hires a professional Manager to carry out the administrative responsibilities and supervises the Manager's performance.
Five Commissioners, elected with no party affiliation, make up the City Commission. They are elected to four-year overlapping terms as part-time officials. Terms are staggered, and elections are held every two years. For the first time in the 2007 general election, a candidate campaigned for the position of Mayor, and assumed the position of Mayor during the last two years of his or her term (previously, the Commissioner candidate who received the most votes in an election became the Mayor during the last two years of his or her term).
The City Commission establishes policies governing City operations and enacts ordinances and resolutions to amend or update the Bozeman Municipal Code. The Commission levies taxes, adopts the City's yearly budget, and appoints members to citizen advisory boards. Decisions made by the City Commission protect the health, safety, general welfare, and future well-being of the citizens of Bozeman.