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In this section we re-visit last week's meeting, providing:
- an AI summary (YouTube transcript analyzed by Claude's Sonnet 4.5)
- links to the Community 7 video
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 WORK SESSION - NOVEMBER 3, 2025
Overview
The Billings City Council held a work session on November 3, 2025, to discuss three major items: codifying HB231 levy adjustments, the FY2027 Technology Replacement Plan, and the FY2027-FY2031 Capital Improvement Plan. The meeting featured robust debate on fiscal policy, infrastructure priorities, and funding mechanisms. Council made several significant decisions regarding the Capital Improvement Plan, removing the 21st Street underpass project and the Fifth Avenue corridor project while changing the funding source for the evidence facility lot expansion. Discussions centered on balancing community needs, maintaining existing infrastructure, and planning for future growth.
Actions and Votes Taken
Item 1: Codify HB231 (2025) Levy Adjustments
[26:46] Motion made by Council Member Tom Rupsis (seconded by CM Shaw) to direct staff to bring back an ordinance codifying the proportional allocation of additional mills from HB231 according to voter-approved levy categories (library, transit, public safety).
Result: Motion FAILED
- Voting in favor: Council Members Rupsis, Cole, Gulick, Shaw (4 votes)
- Voting in opposition: All other council members present (5+ votes)
Item 3: FY2027-FY2031 Capital Improvement Plan
21st Street Underpass Removal
[1:23:30] Motion made by Council Member Mike Boyett (seconded by CM Aspenlieder) to remove the 21st Street underpass project from the CIP
[1:30:32] Vote taken.
Result: Motion PASSES
- Voting in favor: Council Members Aspenlieder, Kennedy, Boyett, Tidswell, Rogers, Owen, and Rupsis (7 votes)
- Voting in opposition: Mayor Cole, and Council Members Shaw, Gulick, and Neese (4 votes)
Evidence Facility Lot Expansion - Funding Source Change
[1:38:43] Motion made by Council Member Kendra Shaw (seconded by CM Gulick) to keep the evidence facility lot expansion project in the CIP but change the funding source from South TIF to general fund (or as recommended by finance director).
[1:46:28] Vote taken.
Result: Motion PASSES
- Voting in opposition: Council Members Aspenlieder, Kennedy, Neese (3 votes)
- Voting in favor: All other council members present (8 votes)
Cottonwood Park Phase 1 Addition
[1:48:19] Motion made by Mayor Bill Cole (seconded by CM Rupsis) to add Cottonwood Park Phase 1 to the FY27 CIP with funding from cash-in-lieu dollars, grants, and private donations (not general fund or TIF dollars).
[2:04:03] Vote taken.
Result: Motion FAILS
- Voting in favor: Council Members Cole, Rupsis, Shaw (3 votes)
- Voting in opposition: All other council members present (8 votes)
Fifth Avenue Corridor Removal
[2:30:13] Motion made by Council Member Mike Boyett (second made by CM Neese) to remove the Fifth Avenue corridor project from the transportation projects section of the CIP.
[2:37:46] Vote taken.
Result: Motion PASSES (7-4)
- Voting in favor: Council Members Boyett, Neese, Tidswell, Rogers, Owen, Kennedy, Aspenlieder (7 votes)
- Voting in opposition: Mayor Cole and Council Members Rupsis, Gulick, Shaw (4 votes)
Council Notable Quotables
[10:02] Council Member Tom Rupsis on addressing HB231: "I think as we went through our budget discussion this year, as we were trying to figure out how to deal with this gift [/sarcasm] that the legislature gave us, there was some confusion on what we can and how we should approach these mills in future years."
[16:53] Council Member Jennifer Owen on addressing HB 231: "All this does is tie our hands and lay the ground for future tax increases. So my recommendation tonight would be that we vote to tell staff to take no further action."
[1:29:33] Mayor Bill Cole on the 21st Street underpass: "I've just been around for long enough that we've had this discussion for eight years. This was an outgrowth of when the 27th Street overpass and underpass failed. We looked for alternatives, plan B, and this became plan B. So we've been discussing it for about eight years and I'm not personally willing just based on eight minutes of conversation to abandon something that has such a long history."
[1:58:37] Council Member Scott Aspenlieder on adding Cottonwood Park: "This is something that, we just, we do not have any line of sight whatsoever to fund in any meaningful way, and this is like trying to bait fish, is what it seems like to me. We're chumming the waters. We're trying to get people drawn in by putting a couple nickels here. So then we're hooked and we can't ever get out of it and we never have the ability to fully develop it and we sit there with a half-baked park with no meaningful infrastructure."
[2:40:54] Mayor Bill Cole on trails maintenance: "I asked our parks director whether it was going to cost $10,000 to maintain a park a year. He couldn't answer the question. And yet we make a boogeyman out of this maintenance issue with zero—zero—data."
Meeting Statistics
Duration: Approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes
Council Members Present: Mayor Bill Cole, Council Members Kendra Shaw, Ed Gulick, Roy Neese, Jennifer Owen, TJ Rogers, Bill Kennedy, Scott Aspenlieder, Daniel Tidswell, Tom Rupsis, Mike Boyett
Public Comment
[1:35] Paul Clark, Southside Triangle resident, spoke about multiple issues:
- Water quality testing in his backyard showed bacteria, high alkalinity, and conductivity
- Request for street lamps on the Southside Triangle
[5:07] Steve Shondra, speaking on mixed-use path up North 27th:
- Current primitive "goat path" exists on south side of guardrail and has likely been there since 1927
- Hopes for a definitive plan by North 27th Street's 100th birthday in 2027
- Wants separated path for citizens, MSU Billings students, hospital workers, and visitors
[53:08] George Richards, speaking as President of Firefighters of the State of Montana:
- Testified about HB231, calling it a "crappy bill"
- Explained firefighters spent 47 days at legislature working on bills
- Also noted fire apparatus costs have doubled: trucks that cost $600-700,000 two years ago now cost $1.2-1.3 million and take 2-3 years to get
- Number of fire truck manufacturers has shrunk from 21 to 7, controlled by 3 companies
[2:08:01] Christie Holderman, spoke twice:
- First comment: asked about recycling or composting infrastructure
- Second comment: Advocated for trails, citing recent conference on maintenance and community survey showing strong support
- Asked "how much is a life worth?" regarding safety benefits of trails for children and active transportation
[2:49:47] Jennifer Strong, Ward 3:
- Spoke against potential non-discrimination ordinance (NDO) following election
- Argued NDO would be redundant with Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Called for ordinance protecting single-sex spaces for women and girls
- Referenced personal experiences finding males in women's restrooms at local gym and retail store
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