// COUNCIL TO APPROVE SIMPLE TIF CHANGE TO COMPLY WITH NEW STATE LAW

City Council will vote Monday on three resolutions establishing advisory committees for Billings' tax increment financing (TIF) districts, completing the simple compliance required by Senate Bill 3. Tonight's discussion comes after a July 21st work session that featured contention as City Staff recommended city absorption of TIF operations and confusion with City Council wrestling through a muddled discussion about how to execute the change.

Why it matters: TIF is one of the only economic development tools authorized in Montana, and it is imperative that we ensure its effectiveness and continuance. The legislative requirements the City needs comply with address concerns voiced by TIF opponents that entities impacted by TIF don't have adequate representation in TIF recommendations.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) in one sentence: TIF districts establish a property tax "base" rate, then capture increased tax revenue above that base to reinvest in the district's infrastructure and make economic development improvements that address blight and other concerns.

• Billings has 3 TIF districts, mapped below:

(Click on the images for a larger version, provided by Big Sky Economic Development)

How it works: Each resolution Council will vote on creates an advisory committee for the three TIF districts (Downtown, East Billings, and South Billings), similar to how our districts operate currently. State law now requires representation from overlapping taxing jurisdictions—the City, Yellowstone County, and affected school districts. Additional seats go to property owners, business owners, and stakeholders within each district. For instance, the Downtown TIF board will consist of:

• One (1) representative from the City of Billings. (req'd under SB 3)
• One (1) representative from Yellowstone County. (req'd under SB 3)
• One (1) representative from School District 2. (req'd under SB 3)
• One (1) representative of Big Sky Economic Development Authority.
• One (1) representative of the Native American Development Corporation.
• One (1) representative of Downtown Billings Association, Inc.
• One (1) representative of the Business Improvement District #0001.
• Four (4) at-large members that own a business, property, or otherwise has a vested interest or presence in the District.

• Terms will be staggered between three and four years, with the initial term lengths determined by drawing straws at the first meeting.
• All committees must adopt bylaws within three months and follow city code provisions for advisory boards.

Crucially, City Council retains final approval authority over all TIF expenditures, regardless of committee recommendations—maintaining the oversight structure that has made Billings' TIF operations worthy of emulation by other Montana cities.

The bottom line

Despite the turbulence getting to this point, avoiding staff-proposed changes, approval of new TIF resolutions tonight will bring the City into compliance with recent legislation well ahead of the October 1 deadline. While we aren't opposed to efficiency and optimization changes regarding TIF operations, we don't believe those would be realized if the City were to absorb TIF operations.

// YOU'RE INVITED: CANDIDATE MEET & GREET (AUG 28)

The 2025 City Council Candidate Meet and Greet at 105 Brewing brings together everything that makes local politics worthwhile: accessible candidates, engaged citizens, and locally brewed beer that turns political discussion into genuine community conversation.

105 Brewing, 815 Yellowstone River Road

Thursday, August 28th, 5:00 – 6:30

5:00 – 6:00 // Reception, drinks, bites, conversations with candidates

6:00 – 6:05 // Remarks from Billings Chamber of Commerce

6:05 – 6:30 // Candidate Introductions/Remarks (2 min each) 

6:30 // Event concludes

Catering bites provided by Montana Jacks.

No fee to attend. Registration is encouraged.

// BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA - 5:30 p.m. - BILLINGS CITY HALL

In this section, we will include the meeting agenda for you to view. Clicking on the items will take you to more information. No need to read it all, but if something catches your eye, be sure to check it out.

COUNCIL REPORTS: 

ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS - CHRIS KUKULSKI 

PUBLIC COMMENT on “NON-PUBLIC HEARING” Agenda Items: 1 and 10(a)(b) and (c) ONLY. Comments are limited to three (3) minutes or as set by the Mayor.

1. CONSENT AGENDA -- Separations: 

A. Bid Awards: 

1. Fire Station 2 Boiler Replacement. (Opened 8/5/25) Recommend Plumb MT, Inc. 

2. Landfill Compactor Wheels. (Opened 8/5/25) Recommend Tractor & Equipment Co. 

B. Purchase of a sewer camera truck from SWS Equipment for Public Works Street/Traffic Division. 

C. In-Kind Donation for Black Otter Trail Crack Sealing to the Parks, Recreation and Public Lands Department from Billings Trail Net. 

D. Bills for the Weeks of: 

1. July 30, 2025 

2. August 4, 2025  

REGULAR AGENDA: 

2. PUBLIC HEARING for land use contrary to zoning to expand the surface parking at Elysian School, located at 6416 Elysian Road. No action necessary. 

3. PUBLIC HEARING AND RESOLUTION approving a street name change from Leatherneck Lane in Elysian Subdivision to Community Place. Staff recommends approval.

4. PUBLIC HEARING REOPENED AND RESOLUTION approving and adopting wastewater wholesale rates for FY2026. Staff recommends approval. 

5. PUBLIC HEARING AND RESOLUTION setting annual levies for FY2026 on General Fund, Transit, Library, Public Safety I, II, III, and General Obligation Debt. Staff recommends approval.

6. PUBLIC HEARING AND RESOLUTION setting annual Road Maintenance District No. 6 assessments for FY2026. Staff recommends approval. 

7. PUBLIC HEARING AND RESOLUTION setting annual Park Maintenance Districts (PMDs) assessments for FY2026. Staff recommends approval. 

8. PUBLIC HEARING AND RESOLUTION approving and adopting FY2025 Budget Amendments. Staff recommends approval. 

9. PUBLIC HEARING AND RESOLUTION approving and adopting FY2026 Final Budget. Staff recommends approval. 

10. RESOLUTIONS creating advisory committees for Urban Renewal Areas. Staff recommends approval.

   a.  East Billings Urban Renewal District (EBURD)

   b.  South Billings Boulevard Urban Renewal District (SBBURD)

   c.  Downtown Urban Renewal District 

PUBLIC COMMENT on “NON-AGENDA ITEMS”. Comments are limited to 3 minutes or as set by the Mayor.

COUNCIL INITIATIVES: 

ADJOURN:

// WATCH THE MEETING ON COMMUNITY 7 TELEVISION

// CITY ADMINISTRATOR WEEKLY REPORT

City Administrator Chris Kukulski began the routine of sending a weekly report every Friday to City Council and department heads with the intent to, "communicate the highlights of the past week and any critical issues coming up." The most recent CA Report includes updates on:

• 98: number of flushes per day at the "Portland Loo" downtown
• Wholesale wastewater rates changes
• And much more...

// GET MORE INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Below are some additional public meetings being held this week, along with information about when and where to attend.

🔸 Tuesday, August 26th

Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee

12:00 - 1:30 pm, Beartooth Room, 5th Floor, New City Hall, 316 N. 26th St.

Yellowstone County Planning Board

6:00 - 7:30 pm, Council Chambers, 5th Floor, New City Hall, 316 N. 26th St.

Heights Task Force Meeting

7:00 - 8:00 pm, Oasis, 543 Aronson Blvd.

🔸 Wednesday, August 27th

HomeFront Housing Authority Meeting

12:00 - 1:30 pm, HomeFront Offices, 2415 1st Ave. N.

🔸 Thursday, August 28th

Board of Health

7:00 - 8:00 am, Riverstone Health, 3rd Floor Board Room, 2626 1st Ave. S.

Citizen Police Advisory Board Meeting

9:00 - 10:00 am, Rimrock Conf Room, 5th Floor, New City Hall, 316 N. 26th St.

// THE SQUEAKY WHEEL

// BOARD & COMMISSION OPENINGS

The Mayor's Office is accepting letters of interest to fill the vacancies listed on the city website. For more information on each specific board, visit the city website. City Boards and Commissions are appointed by the Mayor, confirmed by City Council, are advisory only, and members serve without compensation.

Submit applications to: Mayor's Office, PO Box 1178, Billings, MT 59103-1178.

The DEADLINE for applications is September 1, 2025.

BOARD OPENING (SEATS)

Tourism BID (2)

Community Development Board (1)

Housing Authority—Family (1)

REQUIREMENTS

Live in Billings (Hotel Industry)

Live in Billings

Live in Billings (Res Comm)

// IN CASE YOU MISSED IT - AI SUMMARY AND SOURCE LINKS

In this section we re-visit last week's meeting, providing:

• an AI summary (YouTube transcript analyzed by Claude's Sonnet 4) 
• links to the Community 7 video 
• draft minutes produced by city staff (if available) 

We'll revise and edit when necessary for clarity, brevity, and to avoid inaccuracies, which are sure to happen on occasion. And, considering the difficulty Council has had with audio feeds, it's likely that some comments or segments of the meeting will be missed in the video transcript.

Billings City Council Business Meeting - August 18, 2025

Overview

The City Council held an informal work session focused primarily on two policy areas: revisions to the sidewalk impediments ordinance (expanding beyond snow removal) and the public arts policy. The meeting featured robust discussion about city responsibilities versus property owner obligations, particularly regarding snow removal, and established clearer approval processes for public art installations. The session demonstrated the Council's commitment to balancing practical city operations with resident concerns about fairness and accessibility.

Actions Taken/Directions to City Staff:

• Snow Removal Ordinance: Tina to revise ordinance with discussed changes and bring back for first reading, including:
• Change title from "snow removal" to "impediments" to cover gravel, dirt, and other obstructions
• Add "width" clarification to 36-inch clearance requirement
• Remove Section D (regarding entity responsibility for plowing snow onto sidewalks) for further research
• Clarify that property owners, not tenants, are responsible for sidewalk maintenance
• Public Arts Policy: Move forward with revisions including $25,000 threshold for city administrator approval (above that amount requires Council approval)
• GIS Mapping: Chris Kukulski to coordinate creation of county map showing state trust land, undeveloped city and county land options (related to potential state mental health facility)

Key Quotes from Councilmembers:

Councilman Bill Kennedy (on snow removal responsibilities): "I disagree. I will vote against this ordinance when it comes back if it's not changed because there are so many folks that have had to go out and clear off their sidewalks and everything because... a lot of the times it's not a problem and then you get someone new or someone careless or whatever and plows it all in."

Mayor Bill Cole (on policy changes): "I would hate to see us hold off on fixing 90% of the problems because of the 10% big problem... I'd hate to prevent you from moving ahead because I know you wanted to have things in place before the snow season starts."

Councilman Ed Gulick (on snow removal): "I think this new section D is kind of a no-win situation. If we're going to not plow, we're going to tell everybody that we shouldn't plow onto the sidewalks, then we're going to plow into the gutters and then people can't get to their mailboxes."

Notable Public Comment:

Former Councilmember Joy highlighted housing crisis issues, sharing the story of a 19-year-old experiencing homelessness who "hangs out at gas stations because at 2:00 in the morning if you aren't hiding in the shadows where do you go where it's safe enough for you to be - a gas station." She noted constituents paying $800 for a single bedroom in a $2,400 three-bedroom rental.

Yellowstone County Commissioner Mike Waters expressed serious concerns about a potential state mental health facility in Billings, stating the community has "real concerns about what that would mean for our community, for the county, the city, possibly for the city of Billings" given strained public safety budgets and mental health resources.

Meeting Statistics:

• Duration: Approximately 1 hour and 34 minutes
• Most Active Speakers: Tina (Code Enforcement) during snow removal discussion, with significant participation from Councilmembers Kennedy, Cole, Gulick, and Neese
• Public Speakers: 3 (Former Councilmember Joy, Commissioner Waters, and one speaker supporting the public arts policy)

Additional Notable Items:

• Utility Bills: City Administrator Kukulski announced plans to reinstate late fees and shutoffs this fall, with formal request coming to Council in September
• SBURA District Expansion: Chris Kukulski noted the expansion area now encompasses essentially the entire southside of Billings
• Director Residency: Councilman Kennedy indicated intent to bring forward an initiative requiring city directors to live within city limits
• Mental Health Facility: Councilwoman Jennifer Owen expressed disappointment that this topic was removed from the agenda despite community interest, calling for additional public meetings

The session demonstrated typical work session dynamics with thorough policy discussion, staff direction-setting, and no formal votes taken, as these were preliminary discussions before formal agenda items.

// ADDITIONAL BILLINGS CHAMBER RESOURCES

// BUSINESS ADVOCACY SPONSORS