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Record of Proceedings

Billings City Council Regular Business Meeting - August 10, 2026

City Council — Monday, August 10, 2026
BodyBillings, Montana
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, August 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:04:44

Original source
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0:00

City Council regular business meeting.

0:02

I'm not going to call this meeting to order because we have been in order since 4 p.m.

0:06

The city council was meeting in executive session.

0:10

And uh we research recessed about a half hour ago, and at 5 30 we're calling back to order.

0:17

Um, so welcome to our regular business session.

0:20

Would you please join me in rising for our pledge of allegiance?

0:40

Liberty.

0:43

Please remain standing.

0:44

Mr.

0:45

Nees.

0:46

Thank you.

0:51

Thank you.

0:53

Check, check.

1:01

Okay.

1:02

Excuse me.

1:03

All right, let's pray.

1:05

Father God, we give you praise and honor for your holiness and presence among us.

1:10

We are grateful for your love and mercy that has made available for all for your grace, which allows us to invite you here.

1:19

We ask that your Holy Spirit guide us in our deliberations so that your will can be done here on earth as it is in heaven.

1:28

We pray for your continued goodness for the provisions of this city and those in need.

1:33

We ask that you have mercy for our failings against your standards, and we humbly serve this community.

1:41

Lead us in your truth of your wisdom.

1:44

Direct us in your goodness and love.

1:47

And Father, we ask that you provide wellness and safety to the men and women who serve and protect this city, this county, this state, and this nation, both here and abroad.

1:58

We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ and for his glory.

2:02

Amen.

2:02

Amen.

2:04

You can be seated, please.

2:12

Will the deputy city clerk Keener please call the role?

2:17

Council Member Shaw here.

2:20

Nicholson.

2:21

Here.

2:23

Present.

2:24

Pitman.

2:25

Here.

2:26

Aguirre.

2:27

Here.

2:28

Kennedy.

2:29

Here.

2:29

Aspeniter.

2:31

Lindley.

2:32

Here.

2:33

Boyette.

2:34

O'Donnell.

2:35

Here.

2:35

Mayor Nelson.

2:37

Present.

2:38

Thank you.

2:39

All right, Council.

2:40

We have uh minutes from July 27th, 2026 to approve.

2:47

Could we have a motion to approve or change those?

2:50

Ms.

2:50

Shaw.

2:51

I move to approve the July 27, 2026 minutes.

2:55

Do we have a second?

2:56

Mr.

2:56

Boyette.

2:58

Any discussion regarding that?

3:00

Seeing none, let's have a vote.

3:02

All those in favor of approving the minutes, please say aye.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing██████████████████████████████████34%
Procedural████████████████████20%
Tax Increment Financing███████████████15%
Solid Waste Management███████████████15%
Public Health████4%
Volunteerism And Community Service███3%
Public Engagement███3%
Education And Youth███3%
Economic Development██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Billings City Council Regular Business Meeting - August 10, 2026

The City Council of Billings held a regular business meeting on August 10, 2026, beginning at 5:30 PM after executive session. The council approved the consent agenda, held a public hearing on solid waste code amendments, and voted on tax increment financing for a 152-unit affordable housing development. Several proclamations recognized CASA volunteers and the Montana Family Medicine Residency Program.

Consent Calendar

  • Unanimously approved the minutes of the July 27, 2026 meeting.
  • Consent items were approved in one motion, with the exception of items 1G (related to Councilmember Aspenleiter's company) and 1P1 (payables), which were separated and voted on separately. Those items passed 10-0 (Councilmember Aspenleiter recused).
  • Note: Item 1D (agreement with NORPAC) was included but will require a future budget amendment as noted by the administrator.

Proclamations & Recognitions

  • CASA Day: Mayor Nelson proclaimed August 13, 2026 as CASA Day in Billings, recognizing the work of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Yellowstone County. Since 2015, over 510 volunteers have served over 1,600 children. The proclamation highlighted the role of volunteers in providing stability and advocacy for children in foster care.
  • Montana Family Medicine Residency Program: Recognized for 30 years of training family physicians. The program has trained nearly 200 physicians, with over 60% remaining in Montana. First-year interns Dr. Ash Powder and Dr. Melinda Luters spoke about their commitment to serving the community.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jeff Kettleson (Ward 5) spoke against the TIF request for North Park Apartments (Item 3). He argued the East Billings Urban Renewal District (EBURD) had a poor return on investment, claimed the developer would make a large profit, and criticized the loss of potential property tax revenue over 50 years.
  • Dave Goodridge (real estate broker) spoke in favor of the TIF request, stating the project represents $42 million in investment on an underutilized site, will create housing momentum, and is a necessary step to address Billings' housing shortage.

Discussion Items

  • Solid Waste Ordinance Amendments (Item 2): Jennifer (Public Works) presented nine key changes to Article 21-200, including: clarifying bagging requirements (litter standard), reinstating a lid-closed standard (with flexibility for wind), requiring carts to be placed adjacent to owner's property in alleys (rather than all at one end), free replacement of damaged carts from normal wear, adding cleanup authority for litter and hazard abatement, and establishing hazardous waste disposal rules. The appeal process was changed from City Administrator to City Council. Council discussed concerns about enforcement, cart capacity (allowing second cart for $5.25/month), and need for customer education. Councilmember Kennedy raised concerns about the lid-closed standard and voted no.
  • Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for DRG North Park Apartments (Item 3): Heather Gody (EBURD) and Chase Huber (DevCo Residential Group) presented a request for up to $1.5 million in TIF assistance for a $42 million, 152-unit affordable housing project (60% AMI) at 1406 6th Avenue North. The project would be deed-restricted for 50 years, built by a nonprofit developer, and includes support services through Rainbow Housing. Council questions focused on: developer profit (denied $6M profit claim), use of local subcontractors (45% from Billings, 70% from Montana), nonpayment of prevailing wages (funds intended for land purchase to avoid wage requirements), and the project's nonprofit status limiting tax increment growth. Councilmember Aspenleiter expressed concerns about out-of-town architect and low local labor commitment. Councilmember Kennedy proposed a 5-year payout to preserve EBURD funds. After debate, Councilmember Shaw moved to approve with conditions: prevailing wages (per TIF policy), 5-year payout ($300,000/year), and 50% local subcontractors. The motion passed 8-3.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda: Approved (except separated items) unanimously. Separated items (1G, 1P1) approved 10-0 with one recusal.
  • Solid Waste Ordinance: First reading approved 10-1 (Councilmember Kennedy opposed). Second reading scheduled for August 24, 2026, with implementation 30 days later.
  • TIF for North Park Apartments: Approved 8-3 (Councilmembers O'Donnell, Aspenleiter, and Neese opposed) with conditions: prevailing wages, 5-year payout, 50% local subcontractors. The development agreement will be finalized to incorporate these conditions.

Meeting Transcript

City Council regular business meeting. I'm not going to call this meeting to order because we have been in order since 4 p.m. The city council was meeting in executive session. And uh we research recessed about a half hour ago, and at 5 30 we're calling back to order. Um, so welcome to our regular business session. Would you please join me in rising for our pledge of allegiance? Liberty. Please remain standing. Mr. Nees. Thank you. Thank you. Check, check. Okay. Excuse me. All right, let's pray. Father God, we give you praise and honor for your holiness and presence among us. We are grateful for your love and mercy that has made available for all for your grace, which allows us to invite you here. We ask that your Holy Spirit guide us in our deliberations so that your will can be done here on earth as it is in heaven. We pray for your continued goodness for the provisions of this city and those in need. We ask that you have mercy for our failings against your standards, and we humbly serve this community. Lead us in your truth of your wisdom. Direct us in your goodness and love. And Father, we ask that you provide wellness and safety to the men and women who serve and protect this city, this county, this state, and this nation, both here and abroad. We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ and for his glory. Amen. Amen. You can be seated, please. Will the deputy city clerk Keener please call the role? Council Member Shaw here. Nicholson. Here. Present. Pitman. Here. Aguirre. Here. Kennedy. Here. Aspeniter. Lindley. Here. Boyette. O'Donnell. Here. Mayor Nelson. Present. Thank you. All right, Council. We have uh minutes from July 27th, 2026 to approve.

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