OLLI at MSU May Friday Forum: What Impact Does a Rejected Mill Levy Have on Area Emergency Services?
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/3517763575183/WN_wG_FOh5aQ2i6VMOVsy-rNg
Community Events
May 8, 2026 @ 12:00pm - 1:30pm
In the November 2024 election, a mill levy on Bozeman voters’ ballots proposed to cover additional personnel and operations costs for the city’s police and fire departments. The mill levy, which is a tax rate applied to the value of a property, included an increase in mills beginning with nine in 2026 and reaching 48 mills by 2030 to raise $11.6 million annually, according to Nonstop Local. Voters turned down the levy, with 58% in opposition.
House Bill 20, signed into state law in 2025, also changed the way levies are expressed in Montana — from mills to dollars — which dropped the total taxable property value of Bozeman by 9% and created a $1.7 million deficit, according to KZBK Bozeman. The Bozeman City Commission voted to make up the deficit with mills that were initially set aside for a 911 dispatch center.
Both the commission’s decision and the voters’ levy rejection mean there is less available spending for local emergency services. Bozeman Police Chief Jim Veltkamp said in an August 2025 interview with KBZK Bozeman that the department is facing an increase in call volume, cases and more substantial crimes, though the ratio of crime to population in Bozeman remains consistent as the city is growing.
Veltkamp and Bozeman Fire Chief Josh Waldo will lead the Friday Forum. Attendees will learn about measures the city is taking to address the funding deficit for emergency services, how the proposed mill levy was situated to meet Bozeman’s needs and what future measures may be considered.
Participants must register for the forum no later than 11 a.m. May 8 and can do so online at the OLLI at MSU website or via Zoom. Upon registration confirmation, participants will receive an email with the Zoom link and instructions to join the forum.
OLLI at MSU Friday Forums are a program of MSU Academic Technology and Outreach and offer discussions on timely local and regional topics from September to May.
