DelMarie Shields
Oct 28, 2017 7:15 PM
I’m hoping that you recognize that affordable housing for most of us in area making $15 ph is NOT $1600 per month in rent
Even with both parents employed it’s not possible
We NEED some hope
People should not own homes without college degrees. $15/hour is not a wage that you should have a family on. Bozeman is an expensive town. We pay very high taxes. If you want a minimum wage job and children look to live somewhere cheaper. BTW many many business owners I know are paying their entry level employees $20/hr
Where are those businesses? I have not found any that pay that wage without a degree. And if you think that only people with college degrees have the right to live in Bozeman, then please go back wherever you came from, you are the one who does not belong in Montana, THAT is NOT how Montana has been! My grandkids are 6th generation Bozemanites, and you have no right telling them they cannot live in their own town! Or tell people they are not allowed to have families because they are not as rich as you! Try reading what Jesus taught, because you are obviously not a Christian.
Consider also that very few people make $15 per hour.
And PLEASE fight for rules that prohibit landlords from raising rent by $100+ every single year; even if I do get a raise, why does the landlord feel entitled to put it in THEIR pocket?! Landlords provide the absolute minimum in amenities to tenants, while constantly raising our cost of living without providing any improved amenities, such as newer more energy-efficient appliances! Bozeman cost of living has skyrocketed and anyone talking about FAIR and AFFORDABLE housing should be thinking long and hard about the lives of renters in this town who give so much of their money away to stingy landlords that they:
1. Can’t afford to pay student loan debts
2. Can’t afford a newer car.
3. Can’t save money for a secure future.
4. Can’t meet their badic needs for food and clothing, etc.
5. IMPORTANT: Cannot participate in the local ecenomy!
Do you know that housing is the largest expense by far for people who live paycheck to paycheck?!
If I can’t go buy what I need when I need it, not to mention having extra to buy things I WANT, how do you call that a benefit to the economy?
What we need:
Higher wages (now, not in 2025)
Lower cost of living (landlords have run roughshod over tenant rights and have gutted tenant rights over the last 20 years)
Limitations on rent amounts based on what is being provided for tenants. (Stove from 1950 that only somewhat works: landlord cannot charge the same as a place with a new stove-makes sense.)
Forbid landlords from raising rent just because they are poor managers. If they haven’t improved the property, they cannot raise rent. If wages go up, landlords are not entitled to consume that small increase in a tenant’s income.
All property owners renting space should be required to provide a higher minimum standard of living than is currently available here for what is paid.
Please work on behalf of consumers who are the most exploited and unprotected people. Businesses and landowners have plenty of power; its time to give back to those who do all of the work and can never get ahead.
Please, reach out to the economically-silenced majority, and do something to help make their lives SIGNIFICANTLY better.
Every time your landlord’s property taxes increase, that cost is passed on to you. Property taxes here are very high and are a significant part of why it is so expensive to rent in Bozeman. We need some serious dialog on real solutions by our City government. The only way to provide tax relief for property owners and provide financing for affordable housing is a city or county-wide resort and/or sales tax. There is no other solution, apparently. Brian Lameres is absolutely right that we cannot throw money at affordable housing without cutting spending elsewhere.
Yes, we definitely need our workforce to be able to afford to live here, but we need to address this issue without raising your taxes – so that you can also afford to keep living here.
Government needs to be run with the same level of fiscal responsibility exercised by you in your personal life and in your businesses.
That means if you need to increase spending in one area, then you need to decrease spending in another area. That’s how most of us address our priorities, and that is what needs to be done with Affordable Housing.
If we need to spend more on affordable housing then that means we need to spend less on something else – so that your taxes stay the same.
There are definitely some areas where we could trim some spending without decreasing service to you.
This should not be a government issue. Anyone who wants to make more money needs to go to school and work their way up to a higher wage. Don’t tell me it’s not possible; many industrious, hard-working people have put in the work to be able to live in Bozeman. The free market has to be allowed to work without the government taking care of those who want to be taken care of. This is what our country is based on–the effort will match the rewards.
And pay for that schooling how? Student debt is already a huge problem, and banks are benefiting. And the free market is working here in Bozeman, several businesses have closed and more have reduced their hours because there are not enough workers who can afford to live in Bozeman or commute from way down the valley. Once enough businesses have gone under because of lack of workers, I guess that the free market would have worked the way you wanted. The government does not need to put out money, just more fair rules and laws.
When I moved here in the 80s Bozeman offered lots of ‘affordable’ housing options and when I bought my first home here, I scraped together every penny I could for a down payment. No one helped me, no one promised that my payments would be affordable, nor did I expect any taxpayer-financed subsidies from the city. I worked very hard, sometimes at two jobs to make ends meet and I made every payment on my own. Bozeman is no longer affordable for many people. But, it is not up to the City or the taxpayers to provide ‘affordable’ housing to anyone. I’m OK with HRDC and other 3rd party organizations addressing the issue as long as the tax burden and liability for City tax payers is ZERO. Property owners are taxed enough without having to subsidize the city’s ‘affordable’ housing projects. If ‘affordable’ housing is so important, then a county or city-wide resort tax or sales tax targeting the 4 MILLION tourists who come through Gallatin County every year to enjoy Yellowstone Park and other recreation opportunities in our area is the only answer. The current Bozeman City leadership thinks it’s OK to bulldoze the city’s trailer parks – the last truly affordable and sustainable ‘affordable’ housing in the city – and replace them with trendy condos starting at $450,000, then they want city taxpayers to shoulder the cost of ‘affordable’ housing?? The taxpayers of this city need responsible representation in our government. I think Brian Lameres would be a step in the right direction because of his commitment to fiscal responsibility, his 23 years of experience in city government and his promise to honor Service Over Self.
Brian LaMeres, CPA for Mayor 
DelMarie Shields
Oct 28, 2017 7:15 PM
I’m hoping that you recognize that affordable housing for most of us in area making $15 ph is NOT $1600 per month in rent
Even with both parents employed it’s not possible
We NEED some hope
LikeLike
People should not own homes without college degrees. $15/hour is not a wage that you should have a family on. Bozeman is an expensive town. We pay very high taxes. If you want a minimum wage job and children look to live somewhere cheaper. BTW many many business owners I know are paying their entry level employees $20/hr
LikeLike
Where are those businesses? I have not found any that pay that wage without a degree. And if you think that only people with college degrees have the right to live in Bozeman, then please go back wherever you came from, you are the one who does not belong in Montana, THAT is NOT how Montana has been! My grandkids are 6th generation Bozemanites, and you have no right telling them they cannot live in their own town! Or tell people they are not allowed to have families because they are not as rich as you! Try reading what Jesus taught, because you are obviously not a Christian.
LikeLike
Consider also that very few people make $15 per hour.
And PLEASE fight for rules that prohibit landlords from raising rent by $100+ every single year; even if I do get a raise, why does the landlord feel entitled to put it in THEIR pocket?! Landlords provide the absolute minimum in amenities to tenants, while constantly raising our cost of living without providing any improved amenities, such as newer more energy-efficient appliances! Bozeman cost of living has skyrocketed and anyone talking about FAIR and AFFORDABLE housing should be thinking long and hard about the lives of renters in this town who give so much of their money away to stingy landlords that they:
1. Can’t afford to pay student loan debts
2. Can’t afford a newer car.
3. Can’t save money for a secure future.
4. Can’t meet their badic needs for food and clothing, etc.
5. IMPORTANT: Cannot participate in the local ecenomy!
Do you know that housing is the largest expense by far for people who live paycheck to paycheck?!
If I can’t go buy what I need when I need it, not to mention having extra to buy things I WANT, how do you call that a benefit to the economy?
What we need:
Higher wages (now, not in 2025)
Lower cost of living (landlords have run roughshod over tenant rights and have gutted tenant rights over the last 20 years)
Limitations on rent amounts based on what is being provided for tenants. (Stove from 1950 that only somewhat works: landlord cannot charge the same as a place with a new stove-makes sense.)
Forbid landlords from raising rent just because they are poor managers. If they haven’t improved the property, they cannot raise rent. If wages go up, landlords are not entitled to consume that small increase in a tenant’s income.
All property owners renting space should be required to provide a higher minimum standard of living than is currently available here for what is paid.
Please work on behalf of consumers who are the most exploited and unprotected people. Businesses and landowners have plenty of power; its time to give back to those who do all of the work and can never get ahead.
Please, reach out to the economically-silenced majority, and do something to help make their lives SIGNIFICANTLY better.
LikeLike
Every time your landlord’s property taxes increase, that cost is passed on to you. Property taxes here are very high and are a significant part of why it is so expensive to rent in Bozeman. We need some serious dialog on real solutions by our City government. The only way to provide tax relief for property owners and provide financing for affordable housing is a city or county-wide resort and/or sales tax. There is no other solution, apparently. Brian Lameres is absolutely right that we cannot throw money at affordable housing without cutting spending elsewhere.
LikeLike
AFFORDABLE HOUSING:
Yes, we definitely need our workforce to be able to afford to live here, but we need to address this issue without raising your taxes – so that you can also afford to keep living here.
Government needs to be run with the same level of fiscal responsibility exercised by you in your personal life and in your businesses.
That means if you need to increase spending in one area, then you need to decrease spending in another area. That’s how most of us address our priorities, and that is what needs to be done with Affordable Housing.
If we need to spend more on affordable housing then that means we need to spend less on something else – so that your taxes stay the same.
There are definitely some areas where we could trim some spending without decreasing service to you.
LikeLike
This should not be a government issue. Anyone who wants to make more money needs to go to school and work their way up to a higher wage. Don’t tell me it’s not possible; many industrious, hard-working people have put in the work to be able to live in Bozeman. The free market has to be allowed to work without the government taking care of those who want to be taken care of. This is what our country is based on–the effort will match the rewards.
LikeLike
And pay for that schooling how? Student debt is already a huge problem, and banks are benefiting. And the free market is working here in Bozeman, several businesses have closed and more have reduced their hours because there are not enough workers who can afford to live in Bozeman or commute from way down the valley. Once enough businesses have gone under because of lack of workers, I guess that the free market would have worked the way you wanted. The government does not need to put out money, just more fair rules and laws.
LikeLike
When I moved here in the 80s Bozeman offered lots of ‘affordable’ housing options and when I bought my first home here, I scraped together every penny I could for a down payment. No one helped me, no one promised that my payments would be affordable, nor did I expect any taxpayer-financed subsidies from the city. I worked very hard, sometimes at two jobs to make ends meet and I made every payment on my own. Bozeman is no longer affordable for many people. But, it is not up to the City or the taxpayers to provide ‘affordable’ housing to anyone. I’m OK with HRDC and other 3rd party organizations addressing the issue as long as the tax burden and liability for City tax payers is ZERO. Property owners are taxed enough without having to subsidize the city’s ‘affordable’ housing projects. If ‘affordable’ housing is so important, then a county or city-wide resort tax or sales tax targeting the 4 MILLION tourists who come through Gallatin County every year to enjoy Yellowstone Park and other recreation opportunities in our area is the only answer. The current Bozeman City leadership thinks it’s OK to bulldoze the city’s trailer parks – the last truly affordable and sustainable ‘affordable’ housing in the city – and replace them with trendy condos starting at $450,000, then they want city taxpayers to shoulder the cost of ‘affordable’ housing?? The taxpayers of this city need responsible representation in our government. I think Brian Lameres would be a step in the right direction because of his commitment to fiscal responsibility, his 23 years of experience in city government and his promise to honor Service Over Self.
LikeLike