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City of Bozeman Community Housing Mill Levy

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Think Housing is an Issue?

 

The Community Housing Mill Levy will create a consistent, sustainable, dedicated funding stream to invest in the development and preservation of homes that people that live and work in Bozeman can afford.

What we stand for.

A "Yes" Vote Means

Voting yes will cost property owners $33 per year, generating almost $1 million annually to put towards creating new and preserving existing housing at all price points. 

A "No" Vote Means

This will maintain the status quo – any investments in housing will continue to be drawn from the City of Bozeman’s General Fund and will compete annually with all other departmental and community priorities.  This will continue to result in limited and inconsistent investment.

POTENTIAL IMPACT

$4.75 M

The Community Housing Mill Levy has the potential to generate an investment of up to $4.75 Million in local housing solutions over the next 5 years.

900 HOMES

If invested and leveraged effectively, the Community Housing Mill Levy has the potential to generate close to 900 new homes – affordable to families that live and work here.

5,500 PEOPLE

The Community Housing Levy has the potential to benefit more than 5,500 people in Bozeman.

Letter to the Editor

Most Bozeman residents, whether seeking housing for themselves or witnessing the inability of businesses to hire employees because of the lack of housing, recognize that our community’s housing situation has reached crisis levels.

The community is rightfully concerned regarding the 7 mill community housing resolution and the lack of specificity for how funds are to be invested. While this wasn’t our process, to help demonstrate how these funds could positively impact community housing, HRDC has developed a recommendation to the City for a five-year investment strategy. This strategy, which can be found at www.thehrdc.org/policy outlines a plan to create 900 affordable rental and ownership homes that could serve an approximate 1,500 community members. The strategy calls for additional support to 4,000 community members through emergency programming, supportive services, homebuyer’s education and counseling, and down-payment assistance, and leverages nearly $230 million in private, Federal, and State investment to create homes that people that live and work here can afford across the income spectrum.

These recommendations demonstrate how mill funds could be used to address the needs identified in the City’s 2019 Housing Needs Assessment. In addition to an investment strategy, the plan further recommends processes for income targeting, competitive requests for proposals to ensure the best plans are funded, leveraging of resources, and an annual evaluation report for taxpayers.

Housing is a complex issue, with solutions that are small, many, and varied and where no opportunities can be missed. In calling for a more innovative solution and additional study, we stand to miss an opportunity to support and leverage the efforts of housing developers and service providers, each doing what they can to address this critical community issue today.

– HRDC Board of Directors

 

 

Additional Information

For additional information related to the lack of affordable housing, please click on the following links:

THE NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION REPORT

BBER HOUSING REPORT: AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN MONTANA

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT

ONE VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION REGIONAL HOUSING REPORT

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Brooke Poole

Public Sector

Since 2015, Brooke has been working with Allergan Aesthetics, Body Contouring. In 2018, Brooke began her role as Senior Manager of Training. Brooke graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Commercial Photography from Appalachian State University in 2011.

Brooke began her role on our Board in 2019. However, she feels it’s more fitting to say that she gets to serve on our Board. For Brooke, an evening at our Fork & Spoon was her first glance into our organization’s powerful work. As Brooke states, joining the Board has only expanded her appreciation for the caliber of people leading our mission and the impact of our vast ecosystem of services. While metrics alone are impressive, Brooke likes to visualize each number as an individual example of support – an extension of a helping hand, a moment of relief – given to one of our neighbors. She is grateful for the opportunity to participate in shaping HRDC’s future.

Although Brooke spends most of her volunteer time with HRDC, she was fortunate enough to build with Habitat for Humanity over the course of the summer in 2020. Her favorite place to spend time is anywhere under the Big Sky, although Hyalite may be her favorite place on Earth.

Ron Brey

Public Sector

Ron served as Bozeman’s Assistant City Manager from 1990 to 2008. After retiring, Ron joined our Board in 2011. Ron received his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Montana in 1977, and his Masters in Science in Rural, Town, and Regional Planning from the University of Montana in 1987.

During his time with the City of Bozeman, Ron saw the important role that HRDC has played in our community. Ron has seen that HRDC provides necessary social services to assure that all Bozeman residents could obtain housing, food, training, employment and the other necessities of life. He also came to understand that HRDC was always able to respond immediately as new community needs arose. Ron believes that the dedication, hard work, and compassion of HRDC’s staff make it a real honor to serve on the Board.

Ron also serves on the Trails, Open Space and Parks Committee for the City of Bozeman, and as a volunteer with the Red Cross. One of Ron’s favorite activities is walking his beloved dog every day, enjoying many of Bozeman’s trails and parks, like Burke Park, Bozeman Creek, and the Hyalite and Mount Ellis areas. Ron and his wife Claire enjoy spending their days with family, friends, and time outdoors.