// BILLINGS SPORTS FACILITIES ADVANCE THANKS TO BUSINESS SUPPORT

After eight committee meetings and extensive stakeholder input, the Amend Recreation Center's (ARC) operational future is coming into focus. The City Parks & Recreation Department will manage the facility for three years, supported by Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID, our local hoteliers) funding to bridge an expected operational deficit.

The ARC Operations Committee—comprised of five council members and city staff—has evaluated private, public-private, and public operational models since June. The committee's current recommendation centers on a three-year municipal operation period, coinciding with a $500,000 TBID commitment to offset costs. During this period, the facility will focus on regional tournaments, court rentals, and recreation programming rather than a traditional membership model.

Financial projections show $460,000 in annual revenues against $587,000 in expenses, creating a $127,000 operational gap that TBID funding will cover. The ARC Ops Committee emphasized developing performance metrics to minimize this deficit while building a reserve fund for future maintenance and capital improvements.

(update photo from Sept 12 City Administrator Weekly Report)

Why it matters: With the city budget impacted by legislative property tax changes and voters rejecting a $143 million parks bond in 2023, proving recreational facilities can operate sustainably is crucial for future community investments. The ARC represents an operational test case for Billings to get right, in light of operational struggles experienced by municipal recreation facilities in Great Falls. (Notably, Great Falls also features aquatics facilities and it appears they do not have the benefit of a TBID and hotel businesses making a strategic community investment to help with operational costs.)

Timeline:

• September 15, 2025: Council work session presentation
• Immediate next steps: Council resolution, finalize performance metrics, create TBID memorandum of understanding
• Before opening: Establish operation policies, form advisory board, set common area charges and budget
• Ongoing: Amend food truck ordinances, develop naming rights program, hire staff

Looking back: In April 2025, City Council requested inclusion in ARC planning after receiving final design and construction updates. A committee member was selected from each ward and they have met eight times since June, consulting with tourism officials, urban renewal representatives, and industry experts.

ARC Ops Committee Consists of:

• ARC Ops Chair Councilman Scott Aspenlieder (Ward 4)
• Councilman Ed Gulick (Ward 1)
• Councilman Roy Neese (Ward 2)
• Councilman Bill Kennedy (Ward 3)
• Councilman Tom Rupsis (Ward 5)
• City Administrator Chris Kukulski
• Assistant City Administrator Kevin Iffland
• Parks & Rec Director Gavin Woltjer
• Parks & Rec Superintendent Kory Thompson

By the numbers:

• $460,000 projected annual revenues ($587,000 expenses = $127,000 deficit)
• 15 tournaments estimated, generating $150,000 annually
• 115 court rentals projected at $115,000 annually
• $300,000-$425,000 estimated annual naming rights revenue
• 8 committee meetings held from June through September
• 4 convertible main courts (expandable to 8 smaller courts)
• 5 exterior 3-on-3 courts plus 3-lane walking track

The bottom line: Despite the failure of the $143 million parks bond, numerous stakeholders have partnered together, including our hoteliers (TBID), City Council, Staff, and SBURA TIF district, to build and ensure the Amend Rec Center will be as successful as possible. Thanks to a significant investment from local businesses (TBID/hotels) the facility will be able to operate over the next three years, providing recreation and tournaments for court sports in Billings.

Once complete it will complement Billings's sports facilities already at the Amend Rec Campus, including the Signal Peak Ice Arena, the fields at Amend Park, and perhaps even a future tennis facility! We've got lots of momentum around sports development in Billings, and we are very grateful to our businesses who've made much of it possible! 

// WORK SESSION 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.

CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Cole 

CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION - LITIGATION UPDATE (4:30 PM - 5:30 PM)

• John Skauge

PUBLIC COMMENT ON ALL ITEMS. Comments are limited to three (3) minutes during each public comment period or as set by the Mayor. 

1. Snow Operations Update.

-Public Comment  

2. Utility Billing Update.

-Public Comment  

3. Amend Recreation Center (ARC) Update.

-Public Comment 

HIGHLIGHT UPCOMING AGENDA ITEMS OF COUNCIL INTEREST: 

COUNCIL DISCUSSION: 

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

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:

• Amend Recreation Center updates
• Fire Station 5 remodel updates
• 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, September 16th

Yellowstone Historic Preservation Board

8:30 - 9:30 am, Beartooth Room, 5th Floor, New City Hall, 316 N. 26th St.

Pioneer Park Task Force

6:00 - 7:00 pm, Black Dog Coffee, 3115 19th Ave. N.

West End Neighborhood Task Force

7:00 - 8:30 pm, Connections Church, 56th & Grand.

🔸 Wednesday, September 17th

Parks & Recreation Board Meeting

11:00 - 1:00 pm, Parks & Rec Offices, 390 N. 23rd St.

Rimrock Neighborhoods Task Force

7:00 - 9:00 pm, Mayflower Church, 2940 Poly Dr.

🔸 Thursday, September 18th

Southside Neighborhood Task Force

6:00 - 8:00 pm, Walla Walla University Bldg, 2520 5th Ave. S.

Billings Central Terry Task Force

7:00 - 8:30 pm, Topline Hair, 1331 Central Ave.

// 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 October 6, 2025.

BOARD OPENING (SEATS)

EBURD Advisory Committee (6)

Downtown Urban Renewal District (4)

SBBURD Advisory Committee (7)

REQUIREMENTS

At Large*

At Large*

At Large*

*— Must own, operate, or represent a business, property, or organization in the District or who otherwise have a significant vested interest or presence in the District. Two of the EBURD’s members must be owners or occupants of residential property in the District.

// 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 - September 8th, 2025

Overview

The Billings City Council conducted a lengthy business meeting covering routine administrative matters, fee adjustments, and a controversial tax increment financing extension. The meeting included extensive debate over the Old Billings Hardware TIF project extension, which has been delayed for three years due to financing challenges. Council also addressed annual lighting district assessments, encroachment fees, and initiated discussion on residency requirements for department heads. The session highlighted tensions between supporting downtown development and ensuring accountability for delayed projects.

Actions Taken and Council Directions

• Approved consent agenda unanimously - Including vehicle purchases, airport hangar leases, and various contracts
• Approved street lighting maintenance district assessments - 6.5% increase generating $2.9 million (Kennedy voted no due to unlit fixtures on Southside)
• Approved encroachment rental fee increases - Motion passed 5-4 with 11-cent increase for tier 1 and $1.35 increase for tier 2
• Delayed Old Billings Hardware TIF extension to November 10 - Project worth up to $745,000 pushed back for developer to secure financing
• Approved residency requirement discussion for October work session - Motion passed 5-4 to explore requiring department heads live in city limits
• Directed staff to address stop sign compliance issues - At 32nd Street intersections with Second and Third Avenues

Notable Quotables

Council Member Kennedy on lighting fees: "I'm going to have a real tough time voting for this this evening because there were so many lights out down there. And how in clear conscience can we actually raise fees and charge people when their lights aren't even working?"

Council Member Aspenlieder on the TIF project: "My concern is that this obligation continues to show on the downtown TIF and we keep moving it back and moving it back, but it still shows as an obligation."

Mayor Cole on downtown development: "This is a great project and I think we all know it's a great project in a critical part of downtown. But there has to be money to complete the project."

Public Input

Representatives from Just Serve organization presented the city with a plaque recognizing Billings as Montana's first "Just Serve City," highlighting their platform connecting volunteers with nonprofits. Nancy from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention promoted the September 21st Out of Darkness Walk, noting Montana's concerning statistic of being in the top five states for suicide rates for the past 40 years.

Dan Brooks from the Billings Chamber of Commerce advocated for the TIF project extension, emphasizing benefits of downtown infill development, increased tax base, and crime prevention through "eyes on the streets."

Meeting Statistics

Duration: Approximately 2.5 hours

Most Active Speakers: Council Members Kennedy and Aspenlieder engaged in extensive discussion, particularly during the TIF debate. Mayor Cole facilitated considerable discussion throughout.

Attendance: Council Member Rogers was excused (Council Member Boyett filled in for invocation), Council Member Rupsis was excused. Council Member Gulick recused himself from TIF discussion due to business involvement.

Notable Meeting Dynamics

The introduction of new Airport Manager Paul Khera provided insight into the city's low hangar lease rates compared to market standards, raising questions about revenue optimization. The meeting revealed significant procedural confusion around a previously unknown 365-day condition attached to the 2022 TIF approval that neither city staff, the Downtown Billings Partnership, nor the developer were aware of until recently. This sparked debate about project accountability and whether expired agreements should require full reapplication. The session also highlighted ongoing tensions about council initiatives consuming staff time, with several members expressing concern about diverting resources from adopted city priorities.

// ADDITIONAL BILLINGS CHAMBER RESOURCES

// BUSINESS ADVOCACY SPONSORS