The city of Bozeman Charter was approved in 2006 and requires the city to establish an independent Board of Ethics and annual trainings and education of city officials, city boards, and employees regarding the state and city ethics codes. The three-member Board of Ethics is made up of individuals who are residents of the city but are not “elected or appointed city officials or city employees.” The Board was created to ensure the public and all public servants have a reasonable opportunity and are encouraged to participate in any process for regularly evaluating the city Code of Ethics. The responsibilities of the Board are to evaluate the city Code of Ethics, develop a plan to educate public servants about their rights, duties and responsibilities, submit an annual report of summary decisions, opinions and recommended actions regarding ethical practices or policies, and conduct hearings as needed. Board members serve without compensation. The Board does not have authority to reverse or modify a prior action of the Mayor, governing body or an officer or employee of the city but may refer a matter to the city attorney for review and consideration for appropriate action.

In addition to the city Code of Ethics, all city employees and officials are subject to the state of Montana Code of Ethics. While the city and state Code of Ethics in general offers broad guidelines on behaviors and actions that employees and officials are likely to encounter, the laws can never provide explicit direction on every ethics-related situation. Employees and officials should always seek advice from the city’s legal department for clarification on any potential ethics-related situation.

Quick Links:
City of Bozeman Ethics Handbook, version 4
City of Bozeman Code of Ethics
Montana Code Annotated, Code of Ethics