CITY COUNCIL TO TAKE COMMENTS ON PROPOSED CITY BUDGET

A public hearing on the city's proposed budget for the fiscal year
that begins July 1 will be held during the City Council meeting Monday
night.

The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers on the second
floor of City Hall at 220 N. 27th St.

The proposed budget for fiscal year 2012 has been available since May
2 and there have been five public presentations on various aspects of
the budget, which totals nearly $240 million.

Council members will only listen to public comment Monday night. A
vote on adopting the budget is set for the next council meeting, on
June 27.

The budget hearing is only one part of what could be a lengthy
meeting, which includes 10 other public hearings. Three of those
hearings concern separate pieces of a complicated land swap involving
the city, Billings Clinic and Stockman Bank. All the exchanges have to
do with securing land around the Parmly Billings Library for
additional parking and room for a proposed new library.

After those hearings, the council will vote on whether to accept the
agreements with Billings clinic and the bank.

In the swap with the clinic, the city would acquire 8.8 lots on Sixth
Avenue North for a new library, which would be built if a bond issue
for the project is approved by voters in November. The city would also
get a clinic-owned building on North 29th Street.

In exchange, the clinic would receive 113,000 feet of right of way on
portions of Ninth Avenue North and North 28th Street, which it would
use for future expansion.

In the case of Stockman Bank, the city would exchange land south of
the library for roughly an equal amount of bank-owned land north of
the library.

Also up for a hearing is an emergency ordinance banning the sale of
marijuana in storefronts in the city of Billings. However, city staff
members have recommended delaying approval of the ordinance until a
ruling is issued in a lawsuit brought by the Montana Cannabis Industry
Association in Lewis and Clark County.

The 2011 Legislature passed a law tightly restricting the medical
marijuana industry, and prohibiting for-profit marijuana dispensaries.
The industry association filed suit seeking to bar implementation of
the state law, and a hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction
is set for this week.

A memo from city staff warns the council that passage of the emergency
ordinance could result in potentially costly litigation, which is why
it has recommended delaying approval of the measure.

As part of the year-end budgeting process, the City Council will also
conduct public hearings and vote on resolutions adopting fees for
building, plumbing and other permits; landfill fees and fees for solid
waste collection and disposal; and annual assessments for park
maintenance, light maintenance and related assessments.

The council will also vote on adopting a drug and alcohol policy for
the Police Department. It would subject everyone in the department,
including the chief, to random testing for alcohol and controlled
substances.