// MONTANA TRAILHEAD INN PLANS DEMO AND FACELIFT

Tonight's business will get started after City Council closes their doors for a 90 minute Executive Session to discuss City Administrator Chris Kukulski's annual review. As a brief reminder, our local government is a "Council-Manager" form of government in which City Council sets policies that are carried out by a City Manager/Administrator. City Council is responsible for hiring/firing the City Administrator, who manages the various local government departments. This system differs from a "Strong Mayor" form of government where an elected mayor serves as the executive responsible for managing city government departments while the council sets policy.

Up for discussion tonight is a tax increment finance (TIF) application for the Montana Trailhead Inn, often referred to as the old Holiday Inn, which is planning to make some improvements. Starting in November, they plan to demolish 221 rooms that were built between the tower and the convention center. This will allow them to consider additional retail or restaurant space and a repurposing of the existing convention center. They also intend to remodel the exterior of the tower and add landscaping. 

Renovations will follow the demolition and asbestos abatement which are expected to cost $1.7 million. Altogether, the Montana Trailhead Inn expects to invest around $3.3 million, with the costs for demolition, asbestos abatement, utility work, parking lot improvements, and landscaping—the TIF qualified improvements—tallying $2.3 million. They are requesting $500,000 of TIF assistance, just shy of the maximum TIF funding allowable on this project. Assuming City Council approves the request, the ratio of public to private investment would be 1:7, higher than the City's TIF policy requirement of 1:5. 

With the Billings Hotel and Convention Center scheduled to open their newly renovated convention space this holiday season, and the City moving forward on plans for the Amend Recreation Campus as well as South Park Pool, it's encouraging to see even more economic development and business investment on the South Side of Billings. 

// 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.

CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Cole 

RECESS TO CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION (4:00 PM - 5:30 PM)*

City Administrator, Chris Kukulski's Annual Review

*Note: The Executive Session will be closed, as allowed in Section 2-3-203(3), MCA, as discussions relate to matters of individual privacy and wherein the demands of individual privacy exceed the merits of public disclosure. 

COURTESIES: USS Billings Crew 

PROCLAMATIONS: 

• Epilepsy Awareness Month - November
• Lung Cancer Awareness Month - November 

COUNCIL REPORTS: 

ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS - CHRIS KUKULSKI 

PUBLIC COMMENT on “NON-PUBLIC HEARING” Agenda Items: 1, 2c, 4, 5 and 6 ONLY. Comments are limited to three (3) minutes or as set by the Mayor.

1. CONSENT AGENDA -- Separations: 

A. Mayor Cole recommends that Council confirm the following appointments:

B. Bid Awards: 1. W.O. 23-22: WRF Digester Boiler. (Opened 10/01/24) Recommend Star Service. 

C. Par 3 Golf Course Management Agreement with the Exchange City Golf Corporation. 

D. Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Billings Bench Water Association (BBWA) for the combined application for the FEMA HMGP Grant. 

E. Amendment No. 5, Professional Engineering Services Contract with HDR Engineering for W.O. 19-12: West End Project Preliminary Reservoir Design and BBWA Unloader Raw Water Delivery Design, Bidding and Construction Administration Services. 

F. Acceptance of 2025 Domestic Violence Grant Award to the Police Department for the Domestic Violence Investigator Program and Authorization for the Police Chief to sign all required grant materials. 

G. Acceptance of State Homeland Security Program FY 2024 Grant Award for the Information Technology Department. 

H. Second/Final Reading Ordinance expanding the boundaries of Ward I - Annexation 24-03.  

I. Second/Final Reading Ordinance for Zone Change 1054 - Montana National Guard Project - Hwy 3.  

J. Bills for the Weeks of: 

1. September 23, 2024 

2. September 30, 2024   

REGULAR AGENDA: 

2. JOINT PUBLIC HEARING FOR ANNEXATION 24-04 and ZONE CHANGE 1057: THOMAS ROMINE PROPERTY - 58th Street West and Rimrock Road.

a. RESOLUTION APPROVING ANNEXATION 24-04: a portion of Lot 27A of the Sunny Cove Fruit Farms Subdivision. Staff recommends conditional approval. *Quasi-Judicial

b. FIRST READING ORDINANCE FOR ZONE CHANGE 1057: a portion of Lots 6A-1 and 27A of the Sunny Cove Fruit Farms Subdivision, generally located at 58th Street West and Rimrock Road. Zoning Commission recommends approval and adoption of the 10 review criteria. *Quasi-Judicial

c. ANNEXATION AGREEMENT with Thomas Romine. Staff recommends approval. 

d. PUBLIC HEARING AND FIRST READING ORDINANCE expanding the boundaries of Ward IV to include recently annexed property in Annexation 24-04. Staff recommends approval.  

3. PUBLIC HEARING AND FIRST READING ORDINANCE adopting 2021 International Fire Code (IFC). Staff recommends approval. 

4. TAX INCREMENT FINANCING ASSISTANCE from the South Billings Boulevard Tax Increment Finance District to Tropicana Inn-Vestments 2.0, LLC, for Montana Trailhead Inn partial demolition - 5500 Midland Road. South Billings Urban Renewal Association (SBURA) Board recommends approval.

5. SECOND/FINAL READING ORDINANCE amending Sections 23-100 through 23-1100, Billings, Montana City Code (BMCC), Subdivision Regulations, to conform to State Legislation passed in 2023 and local changes provided by City Council, Planning, Engineering, Parks and Fire Department staff. Planning Board and staff recommends approval. 

6. CITY ADMINISTRATOR'S Annual Performance Evaluation and APPROVAL of Employment Contract.

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:

• Update on RFP process for Amend Recreation Campus
• An article by Billings Fire Chief Pepper Valdez published in Firehouse
• 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, and what's on the agenda (if one is available).

Check back next week!

// 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 November 11, 2024.

BOARD OPENING (SEATS)

Animal Control Board (2)

Aviation & Transit Board (3)

Bike & Ped Advisory Cmte (2)

Billings BID (2)

Board of Health (1)

Community Development Board (1)

Community Development Board (1)

Exchange City Golf Board (1)

Housing Authority (1)

Housing Authority, Elderly (1)

Human Relations Commission (1)

Parks/Recreation/Cemetary Board (4)

Planning Board (1)

Planning Board (1)

Planning Board (1)

Planning Board (1)

Police Board (2)

REQUIREMENTS

Must live in Billings

Must live in Billings

Must live in Billings

Must own land in BID District

Must live in Billings*

Must live in Billings

Must live in Billings—Low-Mod

Must live in Billings

Live w/in 10 mi. radius of Billings

Must live in Billings—Res-Comm

Must live in Billings

Must live in Billings

Must live in Billings—Ward 1

Must live in Billings—Ward 3

Must live in Billings—Ward 4

Must live in Billings—Ward 5

Must live in Billings

* - Background in healthcare or finance preferred

// IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Click the image below to view the most recent parks projects progress report.

// ADDITIONAL BILLINGS CHAMBER RESOURCES

// BUSINESS ADVOCACY SPONSORS