Downtown Bozeman or City of Bozeman?

DTNBZN or City of Bozeman?

We know it can get confusing trying to understand the difference between the services provided by the City of Bozeman (COB) and the Downtown Bozeman Partnership (DBP). And what's with all the acronyms- DBP, BID, DBA, URD?

The Downtown Bozeman Partnership is a member-managed limited liability corporation. The member organizations include the Downtown Bozeman Association (DBA), Business Improvement District (BID), and Urban Renewal District (URD) which established the Partnership as an incorporated management agency. The Downtown Bozeman Partnership provides combined operational support in the form of offices and employees for the three-member organizations. As such, the Partnership is the unified identity of the DBA, BID, and URD, as each organization works independently and collectively on behalf of downtown Bozeman. The Downtown Bozeman Partnership coordinates extensively with the City of Bozeman staff, the City Commission, and the Citizen Advisory Boards. The Partnership works in conjunction with many of the City’s citizen advisory boards on a variety of issues as they pertain to downtown. Perhaps most important, the Partnership continually strives to foster strong relationships with downtown property and business owners. All of these cooperative efforts strengthen downtown as a critical element in the greater community fabric.

The City of Bozeman handles things like public safety, roads, public parking, focusing on city-wide elements. On the other hand, the DBP focuses specifically on downtown, supporting local businesses, organizing events, downtown beautification and making the area a fun and welcoming place to be. While both play important roles, the city covers the broader needs of the entire community, while the DBP puts the spotlight on keeping downtown Bozeman vibrant and exciting. It does not go without saying that the DBP and COB collaborate and support each other as our work overlaps!

Here are two infographics providing a high-level overview of the services offered by each. While these give a good snapshot, they don’t go into nearly enough detail to cover everything. If you have more questions or want to learn more, we’d love to chat!