Kate Ketschek, Chamber Board member, convened the first CISG meeting in August 2004 with 16 volunteers in attendance. Before reluctantly relocating for spousal job reasons, Kate chaired dozens of CISG meetings over the course of three years and at the time she left for New Hampshire, she was president of the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce Board.
Many community members have been in and out of our group over the years. They include business owners, vacation homeowners, and full-time residents in a wide range of ages. Here's our course of study in year one of our meetings.
September 2004 - August 2005
- Summarized the findings of the Chamber's survey relevant to "community & infrastructure."
- Developed a mission statement.
- Interviewed the existing special districts and non-profits providing services in Big Sky using a structured questionnaire.
- Studied Local Government 101 with Ken Weaver, Director of the Local Government Center at MSU in Bozeman.
- With the Growth & Planning Solution Group, convened a joint meeting in Big Sky of the Gallatin & Madison County Commissions and key staff to community concerns.
- June, 2005 Conclusion: Move forward in order to reach a community-wide decision on infrastructure needs, including local government, if any, to improve the quality of life in Big Sky.
- Retained Browning, Kaleczyc, Berry and Hoven, P.C., a Helena law firm for answers to our legal questions and DTM Consulting in Bozeman for mapping needs. Requested clarification of state law from County Attorney, Marty Lambert's office.
