City of Billings, MT
10/05/2022 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/05/2022 23:25
Billings City Council Work Session recap Oct. 3, 2022
Monday night's meeting was a work session, and work sessions provide the council with an opportunity to gather information without holding any votes or making any decisions. The items listed below will likely come up during future sessions, and that's when the council will have a chance to weigh in with a vote.
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To improve service and accommodate our growing population, MET is updating its transit development plan. If approved as it is now, travelers will need to go to designated bus stops spaced about three blocks apart on each route, instead of waving down a bus. With the help of federal funding, MET wants to grow its workforce by five employees, which will also allow them to expand services from 6:20 a.m. - 5:50 p.m., to 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. Based on rider data, there are also plans to alter some routes. Please keep in mind, this plan still needs to be approved by the Policy Coordinating Committee, and we will give plenty of notice before any changes are made. Follow this link to see and hear Monday night's discussion on the plan. You can also read the entire draft plan by clicking here.
The City of Billings is divided into five wards. Each ward is represented by two council members. Using population data from the 2020 census, Ward 1, which includes downtown, the southside, the airport, and the entrance to the Heights, has the smallest population at 20,580 people. Ward 4, which includes neighborhoods along Rimrock Road, going west past Molt Road, has 25,722 residents. State code requires wards to be as equal in population size as possible. All other wards currently sit within the 23,000 range. The new plan expands Ward 1 by including Rehberg Ranch and the MSUB campus area, which are currently in Ward 4. The updated boundaries need to be approved no later than March of 2023 as candidates begin filing for election. Listen to the planning that went into the updated ward map here.
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It's estimated that Montana's commercial and industrial businesses waste $353.3 million annually on energy bills. An option was pitched to the council that could help Billings reduce that amount through an economic development financing program named C-PACE, or, "Commercial Property Assessed Capital Enhancements." Business owners and developers could qualify for a low-interest loan, while the city benefits from increased tax evaluations. Some council members were unsure about this opportunity and asked several questions. You can hear them here.
City Administrator Chris Kukulski plans to give an update on the number of people with warrants who were released due to limited jail space at every regular meeting. Those happen twice a month, with the next one scheduled for October 10, 2022. He will provide weekly numbers and a year-to-date update.