State Legislature 2022: Tim Warburton - Billings Chamber of Commerce

What is your 'why' behind running for office?

I’m on the ballot because nobody had filed to run against the incumbent. I believe voters should have a choice in every election. There can be nothing worse than wanting change, not being satisfied with current representation, yet having no options at the ballot box.

What are your three most important policy priorities? What do you hope will be the impact of implementing these policies?

Voting rights and reform, protecting a women’s right to choose, and implementing common-sense gun safety regulations. I’m adding in a fourth, and that’s ensuring members of the LGBTQ+ community feel safe and welcome. I think the legislative impact on these four specific areas by people who share my values would result in a welcoming, thriving, and diverse community. Sadly, it seems we are going in the complete opposite direction. Voting for the incumbent in HD46 ensures women’s privacy in healthcare decisions now includes elected officials, we have more guns on the street, and our friends and family in the LGBTQ+ community feel persecuted and forced back into hiding.

Do you agree that control and authority should generally be returned to local communities? If so, how? If not, why?

I do agree, and I think the best way to do this is for the Billings City Council, Yellowstone County Commissioners, and the Yellowstone County delegation to Helena to be working more closely together. Secondly, the YC delegation needs to go to Helena and work together FOR BILLINGS, not go up there and play culture war games with the more rural MT legislators. The YC delegation has been failing YC for far to long, and nobody has helped that along more than the incumbent in HD46.

What do you hope to work on, or see passed, at the legislature to address safety issues in our community?

We have two main problems as I see them: Drugs and Guns. First, we need to focus on the dangerous drugs, including the trafficking and distribution of. We should have nobody in jail for minor drug offenses, they need to be routed to a treatment program like Treatment Court. We need more investment in programs like Treatment Court, that allows people to remain contributing members of society. Secondly, we need smart gun regulations. There is no reason an 18-year-old kid can buy assault rifles, enough ammo to kill the entire town, and military style body armor with little to no oversight. Police often support these legislative efforts, as they are the ones who inevitably are put in direct danger in responding to these mass shootings. Also, it’s obviously a threat to everyone. In 2021 the MT legislature made it easier to carry weapons in a concealed manner and removed places like bars where people couldn’t carry a concealed firearm, so now they can carry in bars. I support the second amendment and a person’s right to firearms but disagree with the notion that any effort to end the mass shootings, gun violence in general, is an attack on that freedom.

What can Montana do to ensure we have access to affordable and reliable energy, while planning for and transitioning to a less carbon-reliant energy future?

Montana can elect leaders who believe we have a climate crisis on our hands, that would be my first suggestion. When it comes to HD 46, I’m that candidate. Secondly, every day not spent working on renewable energy development is a day lost. Wind, solar, and anything and everything in-between, needs to be invested in at triple the amount we are investing right now. Sooner than later, we won’t have the option to make this choice, the choice will be made for us, and at that point it may be a bit late.

Do you think more lodging tax revenue should be returned to the areas that generated the revenue? Or is the money better used elsewhere?

Since there is no sales tax, the property owners in a place like Billings get to subsidize the infrastructure cost so these 2.6 million people can have a nice place to visit. Of course, the taxes generated should be returned to the areas that generated the revenue, but better yet, a sales tax to capture back some of the cost property owners face for the increased demand on our infrastructure and emergency services, would be more helpful. I am open to discuss any ideas that will help with our current tax structure, because I’m of the opinion that it isn’t sustainable for anybody that isn’t very wealthy.

Do you support local option tax authority? If so, what provisions would you like to see in the proposal? If not, how would you address rising property taxes without reducing essential services like public safety?

Yes, I support a local option authority, and believe the city of Billings would vote to approve. I’d like to see things in the proposal that direct where funds would go and would advocate a specific percentage goes to the Billings Parks and Rec department for park development, fire and safety services, and road/bike repairs and development.

What can the legislature do to incentivize building more housing, streamline the process, and/or make it easier to embrace new housing technologies?

Is it a housing shortage or a “affordable” housing shortage, right? While we do need some additional housing, the real solution lies in paying people a living wage, not requiring property owners (who then pass this along to renters) to fund all the infrastructure for our tourism industry, and smart and strategic infill policies.