By: Daniel J. Brooks, Director of Business Advocacy, Billings Chamber of Commerce
Elections just wrapped up and we’re ready to turn our attention to the upcoming 2025 Legislative Session. We’ll be working on the priorities established by our membership: Public Safety, Housing Supply, and Workforce Issues. Additionally, there are other big topics that we’ll be working on like taxes, TIF districts, and Medicaid Expansion.
Alas, we’re ahead of ourselves. Before reporting on everything we’re going to work on in Helena, we need to share what we’ve been working on over the last few months. We’re here to keep you informed, save you time, and work toward a better Billings. Below is a brief snapshot of our advocacy efforts.
Aug 26 // Public Safety
Billings City Council
Citing concerns for pedestrian/patron safety and the recommendations from a prior CPTED security survey we conducted for the Alberta Bair Theater (ABT), we testified in favor of the City adding bollards to the corner of Broadway and 3rd Ave. N. The ABT submitted a request for tax increment financing (TIF) to fund the improvements, but the TIF district recommended not funding the safety improvements, citing a lack of funds, and City Council ultimately voted against the project.
Sept 23 // Public Safety
Billings City Council
We testified in favor of the City’s draft 2025 Legislative Priorities, emphasizing the support for a handful of public safety bills that will be carried by local legislators to address crime in Billings. There is a lot of overlap in the City’s legislative agenda and the Billings Chamber’s. We expect there will be a lot of issues we can work together on including public safety, housing, TIF, and Medicaid Expansion reauthorization.
Oct 28 // Public Safety
Billings City Council
The Billings Chamber testified in favor or new subdivision regulations requiring new developments to include street lighting, building safety into new Billings neighborhoods. Our number one priority from membership is public safety and while we are sensitive to the concerns of increasing housing costs, a 2021 city survey with 995 respondents suggested that 25% of residents (~23,000) don’t feel safe in their neighborhoods at night, many due to inadequate lighting. We need Billings to be seen as a safe community and adequate lighting is imperative.
Aug 13 // Housing Supply
Yellowstone County Commission
One of the pro-housing bills the Billings Chamber supported last legislative session authorized the formation of Community Reinvestment Organizations (CRO) to manage state dollars directed toward housing. In order to participate, a local government must opt-in and establish a CRO which meets the state’s qualifications. The Billings Chamber testified in support of a county resolution establishing HomeFront as our local CRO, moving our community one step closer to taking advantage of this housing program.
Aug 15 // Housing Supply
MT Board of Housing
The Billings Chamber drafted and signed a letter of support for a proposed affordable housing development that would add 26 income restricted units to Billings’s housing supply. The developer, GL Development, has a record of successful development of affordable units in Billings, most recently with their Mitchell Courts project that added 32 affordable units, and 38 units in their prior Jackson Court development. We’ve also discussed building Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and safety into their housing development plans.
Oct 16 // Business Issues
Federal Government
The Billings Chamber organized local Montana chambers to sign a letter of support reauthorizing the 199A small business tax deduction, which was part of the 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act signed into law by President Trump. Unfortunately, the tax credit worth $975,000,000 to Montana’s small businesses is temporary and expires next year. The Billings Chamber will continue pushing to ensure this critical small business benefit is reauthorized.
Sept 3 // Quality of Life
Billings City Council
The Chair of the Board of the Billings Chamber of Commerce, Debbie Potter, testified in support of an updated Amend Recreational Campus (ARC) proposal, including a master plan of the entire site and a public-private partnership for a pad site on the campus to accommodate ice activities. The week prior, the Billings Chamber hosted a meeting with strategic partners, the sports community, City Council, and Signal Peak Energy which is pledging $6,000,000 toward a new Billings hockey facility.
Sept 17 // Infrastructure & Transportation
MT Department of Transportation
The Billings Chamber drafted and signed a letter of support for the Montana Department of Transportation, which is applying for a federal grant to prioritize and plan to replace the 149 bridges along Montana interstates that are in fair or poor condition. We know how detrimental it can be to commerce when supply lines aren’t functioning properly. It is absolutely critical for our businesses that bridges along our interstates are in good condition and not at risk of failure.
Oct 15 // Natural Resources & the Environment
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
The Billings Chamber submitted official public comment in favor of an action plan at the Spring Creek Mine to maintain jobs, economic productivity, and local tax revenues. After legal challenges and a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the mine, owned by Navajo Transitional Energy Company, faces an uncertain future depending on which plan the government elects. If the government opts for an alternative other than the plan we support, it will threaten the over $100,000,000 of economic impact the mine provides locally.
Interested in receiving our newsletters? Email Business Advocacy Director, Dan Brooks (daniel@billingschamber.com)
This article originally published in Winter 2025 Edition of LiNK, powered by Simply Local.
