Billings City Council Regular Business Meeting - July 13, 2026
Billings City Council Regular Business Meeting - July 13, 2026
The July 13, 2026 regular business meeting of the Billings, Montana City Council was called to order at 5:30 p.m. The meeting included apologies and clarifications regarding remarks made at the previous meeting, updates from community organizations, a presentation on the upcoming air show, a work session on amendments to the Billings 2045 plan, and public comments on various topics.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes for the June 22, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously.
- Items D (Thornrun Partners federal lobbying contract), N (Met Transit feasibility study), and T were separated from the consent agenda. The remainder of the consent agenda was approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jeffrey Kettleson (Ward 5 resident) spoke in favor of impact fees, arguing that growth should be paid for by developers, not citizens. He referenced page 30 of the Met Government Feasibility Study and stated that the water treatment plant, new garbage cell, and Billings Heights water department costs are burdensome to residents.
- Chris Glenn (Chair of Yellowstone Valley Citizens Council) expressed support for the LB Lofts project, noting that housing is a top issue among over 200 residents surveyed. He asked the council not to add more hurdles to the project, which will provide 102 dwelling units.
- Paul Clark (Ward 1 resident) spoke about the South Park Pool and urged consideration of sponsorship as an alternative to mill levies. He also questioned the removal of mature trees in South Park.
- Jeffrey Kettleson (returning) criticized Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts, asserting that millions in tax dollars have been spent with poor return on investment, and noted that a high school baseball program is underfunded due to a lack of public funds.
- Laye Kwai Black (Native Hawaiian, Ward 5 resident) criticized Councilmember O'Donnell for remarks made on July 6, 2026, stating they were racist and harmful. She called on O'Donnell to own his words and do better.
- A resident spoke about a federal lawsuit against the City of Billings and an SRO, alleging false statements in a police report.
Discussion Items
- Councilmember O'Donnell Apology: Councilmember O'Donnell apologized for remarks made during the July 6th meeting, clarifying that he had read contractual language from the October 13, 2025 packet and mistakenly interpreted "target population" as race-based. He stated his opposition to racism and apologized for the word "ghettoization." Mayor Nelson apologized for not preserving decorum and announced that O'Donnell will meet with the Human Relations Commission.
- Bear Tooth RC&D Presentation: Myrna Les Tusky, Project Manager, updated the council on economic development initiatives, including the launch of the Guru site selector tool, support for the city's opportunity zone application, food and agriculture events, and development of a five-year comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS). She requested guidance on featuring key city properties.
- Air Show Presentation: Matthew McDonnell and Jake Penwell (Co-chairs, Yellowstone National Air Show) presented the plan for a 2026 air show (the 250th anniversary of the U.S.) and requested the city partner on overtime costs (estimated at $146,000 last show). They highlighted a $15 million economic impact, 30,000 attendees, and 100% volunteer coordination. Councilmembers expressed support but noted the city's tax structure limits direct subsidies; recommended seeking support from the Chamber of Commerce, Tavern Association, and other business groups before using taxpayer funds. Councilmember Shaw suggested adding a fee to tickets for first responder funding.
- Billings 2045 Plan Amendments (Work Session): Planning staff presented proposed amendments to the city's growth plan. New elements include: an infill policy, neighborhood planning for more areas, alignment of water/sewer master plans with the land use map, green infrastructure incentives, transportation corridor studies, wayfinding signage, affordable housing through TIF funding and a housing trust fund, equity-based capital investment scoring, gateway beautification standards, dark sky lighting ordinance (with discussion on costs), and neighborhood branding. Councilmembers raised concerns about lighting costs, the infill policy, and complete streets. The matter will return for action on July 27, 2026.
- Council Initiative - TIF Advisory Committee Consolidation: Deputy Mayor Boyette proposed consolidating three statutory TIF advisory boards into one. The motion passed 10–1 (Councilmember Aguirre opposed) and will come back for finalization.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously with items D, N, and T separated.
- Item D (Thornrun Partners lobbying): Approved unanimously.
- Item N (Met Transit governance study): Approved unanimously with a condition that any action or staff time on findings must first be reviewed by a council committee.
- Item T: Approved with Councilmember Aspenlighter recused.
- Council Initiative (TIF consolidation): Passed 10–1; to be brought forward for final adoption.
- Next Steps: The Billings 2045 plan amendments will be presented for a vote on July 27, 2026. The air show co-chairs will work with the city administrator to explore funding options and partnerships.
Meeting Transcript
13th, 2026, regular business meeting of the Billings, Montana City Council. I'm happy you are all here. It is now officially 5:30 p.m., so I am calling the meeting to order. Would everybody please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance? I of the United States of America. I'll like for which is so I thought I'd try something a little different for the invocation. Um have us do kind of a short, I'll call it a meditation for lack of a better word on the word leadership. So we'll just kind of have a moment of silence for about 30 seconds, and I'd just like everybody to reflect on that word, and then I'll call us to a close. By the way, um are we ready? Let's call the roll. Nicholson, niece present here, Tegieray here, Kennedy, Aspenlighter, Lindley, here, Boyette, O'Donnell. Here, Mayor Nelson. I'm present. Thank you. We have minutes uh for approval of June 22nd, 2026. Could we have a motion to uh accept the minutes? Mr. Boyette. Thank you, Mayor. I move that we approve the minutes for June 22nd, 2026 is read. Thank you. Uh is there a second, Mr. Nees. Any changes or discussion regarding the motion? All right, seeing none, uh, shall we vote? All those in favor accepting the minutes, please say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed. That's unanimous. Council courtesies. I think we're gonna start with Mr. O'Donnell. Thank you. Uh, so I have a uh statement to make to the community at large. I wish to offer an apology to any persons who were upset by remarks that I made during the July 6th council meeting. While the remarks I made are truly recorded, one very important fact has not been noticed or overlooked, and that is that the words uh that were read by me uh were read directly from the official packet of information prepared for the October 13, 2025 council meeting. These words were not my own. The wording that said this project had a quote unquote target population that was defined not by income but by race, that was uh this was understood by me as highly offensive and objectionable and unacceptable. It is true today and has always been true that my convictions are completely anti-racist. I have never, will never tolerate or support any program that uses race as a deciding or determining factor, such as I mistakenly thought this project was using. This language, and thank you to Councilmember Aguirre for explaining this to me, referencing target populations. I have discovered is a rather common language in federal contracts, and does not in any way mean that anybody's race is meant to be targeted in a negative way. Um I used a word that many find very offensive, ghettoization, and indeed it is very offensive, an ugly word. I use that word intentionally to convey my disgust with the racism that I mistakenly thought was going to happen in this program. It is an ugly word. I could not imagine any other meaning of those contract words other than that people of those quote unquote target populations were targeted to be directed to this development. What else could targeting mean? I hope that anyone who pays attention to this clarification and still thinks ill of my words will reach out to me. I will meet and discuss this with anyone.
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