Agenda Items
Setting PMD Annual
Assessments for
Fiscal Year 2015
Park Maintenance Districts’ Fund (35 PMDs Combined)
$0.00
$200,000.00
$400,000.00
$600,000.00
$800,000.00
$1,000,000.00
$1,200,000.00
FY10 Actual
FY11 Actual
FY12 Actual
FY13 Actual
FY14 Actual
FY15 Proposed
$640,110
702,517
$827,479 $827,479 $794,754
$1,004,407
Park Maintenance Districts’ Fund
(Assessments and Expenditures)
$500,000
$600,000
$700,000
$800,000
$900,000
$1,000,000
$1,100,000
Assessments
Expenditures
Proposed
FY2015 Park
District Projects
Park District #1 Annual Assessments
• FY2013 $1,855,000
• FY2014 $1,895,000
• FY2015 $2,304,876 (Original Proposal)
• FY2015 $1,895,000 (Revised Proposal)
Project Evaluation Criteria
• Safety, Health & Welfare
• State & Federal Compliance
• Preventing Closures/Removals
• Survey Responses/Public’s Priorities
• Efficiency Savings
Proposed FY2015 Projects
(Option A – Original Proposal)
Deferred Maintenance Projects
Stewart Park infrastructure Improvements $1,200,000 (Auto/pedestrian circulation, parking, safety, emergency access,
irrigation upgrades, rock removal: $164,913.84, etc.)
Amend Park Irrigation Upgrades $250,000
(Upgrade City water service, ditch infrastructure, etc.)
A large event shelter at Pioneer Park $200,000 (Replaces a shelter that had to be removed from North Park)
Park and Facility Maintenance Tracking Software $9,900 (Tracks labor, equipment & materials costs)
Ongoing Maintenance
Personnel Services $213,292
(3 full-time and 7 seasonals employees)
Operations and Maintenance $431,594
(Picnic tables, vegetation management, emergency maintenance & repairs)
Total $2,304,876
Proposed FY2015 Projects (Option B – New Proposal)
Deferred Maintenance Projects
Stewart Park Irrigation Upgrades $300,000
Stewart Park Traffic and Pedestrian Circulation & Parking Study $75,000 Replace Fall protection material at 5 playground sites $100,000 ( Eaton, Streeter, Trails Ends, Walsh & Central )
Pioneer Park Playground Replacement $300,214
Yellowstone Kelly’s grave site at Swords Rimrock Park $50,000
(Partnership with Chamber of Commerce)
Rock Removal above 6
thAve $165,000
(Has been completed)
Amend Park Irrigation Upgrades $250,000
(Upgrade City water service, ditch infrastructure, etc.)
Park and Facility Maintenance Tracking Software $9,900 (Tracks labor, equipment & materials costs)
Ongoing Maintenance
Personnel Services $213,292
(Current employees: 3 full-time and 7 seasonals)
Operations and Maintenance $431,594
(Picnic tables, playground equipment, repairs, pumps, irrigation,
building maintenance, vegetation management, etc.)
Total $1,895,000
Other Items
CITY CODE ENFORCEMENT MONTHLY REPORT Month of Aug 2014
Received Resolved
Violation Central & West End Heights & Southside Commercial Areas Total Central & West End Heights & Southside Commercial Areas Total
Building Code 2 2 1 1
Clear Vision 10 1 11 9 1 10
Commercial 2 16 18 1 13 14
General Zoning 2 14 16 3 6 9
Graffiti 3 1 4 2 2
Junk Vehicles 6 3 9 6 2 5 13
Miscellaneous 2 1 21 24 4 1 14 19
Nuisance 5 1 2 8 5 5 10
Obstruction of Public ROW 8 1 39 48 10 1 38 49
Open Storage of Junk & Salvage 19 2 21 15 1 7 23
Parking on Lawn 4 1 2 7 4 2 6
RV & Trailers 59 6 5 70 66 2 6 74
Signs 125 125 121 121
Snow & Ice on Sidewalks 0 0
Solid Waste 7 1 8 3 2 5
Trees/Shrubs Blocking ROW 14 2 16 23 5 28
Weeds 121 68 189 164 6 1 171
Total for Month 262 85 229 576 315 13 227 555
Active Cases As of Sept 1, 2014 348 Citations Issued 6 No Code Violations or Unable to Locate 4 Assistance provided by County Code Enforcement Officer Schieno & BPD Volunteers during May, June, July & August
Year To Date
Violation Central & West End Heights & Southside Commercial Areas Total Jan-Aug 2013
Building Code 2 1 4 7 16
Clear Vision 22 1 13 36 27
Commercial 22 3 39 64 32
General Zoning 14 1 28 43 37
Graffiti 14 5 15 34 20
Junk Vehicles 65 10 16 91 122
Miscellaneous 26 8 43 77 266
Nuisance 30 10 22 62 50
Obstruction of Public ROW 58 16 97 171
Open Storage of Junk & Salvage 128 28 64 220 239
Parking on Lawn 29 11 17 57
RV & Trailers 288 57 106 451 474
Signs 1 250 251 126
Snow & Ice on Sidewalks 112 120 232 68
Solid Waste 9 3 14 26
Trees/Shrubs Blocking ROW 45 4 23 72
Weeds 854 68 6 928 741
Year to Date 1719 346 757 2822 2218
MEMORANDUM
Date: September 12, 2014
To: Community Development Board
Candi Millar, Planning & Community Services Director From: Brenda Beckett, Community Development (CD) Manager
Dina Harmon, CD Program Coordinator Lynda Woods, CD Program Coordinator Tam Rodier, Grants Technician
Gina Simonetti, Grants Technician
Re: Monthly Report for August - Community Development Division
CORE PROGRAMS
First Time Home Buyer Program
The First Time Homebuyer Program has enough funding for approximately 28 more households. Funding has been committed to eight households for the current fiscal year funding. At right is a home purchased through this program.
Home Repair Programs
Manufactured Home Repair: Funding for this program is 13% committed. Six homeowners are seeking bids.
Unfortunately, due to severe storms this summer, homeowners are having a hard time getting contractors to bid their projects.
Housing Rehabilitation: Funding is 10% committed. Seven projects are in construction and four homeowners are seeking bids. A Housing Rehab Loan recipient was featured in the Billings Gazette. Repair items for the disabled homeowner focused on quality of life and accessibility.
The monthly report in June contained pictures of a recent roof replacement that was completed as part of a Housing Rehabilitation project located in the South Side Task Force Area. The pictures below show the finished project complete with roof, egress window and maintenance-free siding. This homeowner is grateful for the maintenance free improvements to her modest home.
After: New roofing, siding and windows.
Before: Home in need of roofing, siding and window replacement.
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Affordable Housing Development Program
Homeword’s Community Housing Development Organization Project:
The contractors are quickly trying to finish outside work for the project to beat the possibility of an early winter.
Much of the indoor work including plumbing, electrical, and insulating has begun.
Billings Metro VISTA Project (MVP)
The Billings Grown Gardening Initiative* successfully held their first event, The Parade of Gardens! In hopes of establishing an annual event, a committee was created by VISTA members working in food security projects across the City.
This event was designed to spread awareness of community gardens in Billings by opening garden gates to the public to illustrate accomplishments and highlight operations. Six gardens were featured in the event and three of the showcase projects are supported by assigned AmeriCorps VISTA members:
• Amend Park Community Garden
• Billings Headstart School Garden
• Housing Authority of Billings Whitetail Run Garden
In addition to the five AmeriCorps full year VISTAs that are working on these projects, each site also had help from five Summer VISTAs that were also working on the project. The event was very successful and had more participation than expected; about 70 people attended. It brought people in who had not yet seen the gardens and even sparked interest in more participation in future years!
*Billings Grown Gardening Initiative is a group that has been spearheaded by various members of the gardening community and current VISTA members involved in 2014 food security programs.
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Foreclosure, Acquisition / Rehab Program - formerly known as Neighborhood Stabilization Program
Staff requested the Community Development Board approve program augmentation with additional funding as follows:
• Up to $50,000 from the City Council’s Home Reinvestment Revolving Loan program.
• $2,990 in remaining FY13-14 CDBG First-Time Home Buyer program.
The above allocations combined with proceeds from recent sales will total approximately $195,000; adequate funding for the purchase, rehabilitation and sale of an additional foreclosed property. Total costs to acquire and rehabilitate homes through this program range from $153,000 to $193,000 and averaged just under $180,000.
Staff will place the item on the City Council agenda for approval in October.
HOME Final Rule & Rental Project Monitoring
Staff continues to update each assisted rental project’s file monitoring checklist and risk assessment form.
A staff member attended the Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) Workshop: Understanding the 2013 HOME FINAL RULE training in Portland, Oregon, August 25-28. The training was sponsored by HUD’s Office of Affordable Housing with trainers from Training & Development Associates (TDA).
Workshop goals were to ensure understanding of new program regulations which is expected to help ensure the creation of successful projects.
Staff from the Billings YWCA also attended the training in hopes of developing an affordable housing project in the near future.
Irma House II: The City has expended just over $10,000 on the property since taking ownership in January 2013.
These expenditures will be recovered from the proceeds of the sale. The property continues to be marketed by Dan Wagner of ReMax Experts of Billings. While the property has been shown many times, a viable offer has yet to develop. Staff therefore recently approved lowering the price from $189,000 to $184,900. The property sustained minor damage to the vinyl siding, window edges, and the roof during the May hailstorms. The City’s claims adjuster is currently evaluating the repair estimate submitted in August.
PARTNERSHIPS
Billings Partners for American Indian Homeownership / Affordable Housing Task Force: The Billings Partners for American Indian Homeownership and the Affordable Housing Task Force did not meet in August as they meet quarterly.
Mayor’s Committee on Homelessness: The Mayor’s Committee on Homelessness is scheduled to meet on September 18, 2014 at 12:00 pm at RiverStone Health.
HUD Field Office Portland, OR
HUD Field Office Entrance
3
1 390 North 23rd Street
Billings, MT 59101
Phone: 406-657-8371 Fax: 406-247-8641
BillingsParks.org
City of Billings Parks and Recreation Department
Michael Whitaker Director
“We create community through people, parks, and programs”
MEMO
To: Mayor and City Council
CC: Tina Volek, City Administrator
From: Michael Whitaker, Director
Date: September 10, 2014
Re: September Monthly Report
Recreation
Fall Recreation Programs:
The Recreation Staff has been working hard on putting together a multitude of new and exciting fall programs. To create additional awareness for the fall programs, Staff has developed a new Fall Program Pocket Schedule and is currentlydistributing it around the community. September is a month full of recreational opportunity from youth sports, special interest, active adult recreation, family/group excursions, and youth adventure weekends! If you haven’t checked out any of our recreation programs, now is the perfect time to get involved as our staff is growing and developing exciting new opportunities.
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StrikeZone Batting Cages Wrap Up:
With the mechanical upgrade adding pitch consistency and reliable machines in each cage, 2014 summer operations saw an increase in visits and customer satisfaction with an overall increase in revenue of nearly $15,000 when compared to 2013.Swimming Pools Wrap Up:
2014 will go down as an average summer in terms of attendance and slightly above average for revenue. The weather in June was not real conducive to attract any big crowds, we had the typical hot July and turns out that August was cooler than normal. However, the new and improved waterslides were a big hit with 11,865 All Day Slide Passes sold.Also in preparation for next summer, we facilitated a Kiddie Pool painting project in conjunction with the United Way Day of Caring on September 11th.
Summer Recreation Programs Wrap Up:
Overall activity registrations have increased over last summer. A quick look at the overall revenue received in 2014 from April 1st to September 1st shows an increase of just over 29% for all recreation programs as compared to 2013. Our new Recreation Specialists worked very hard this summer and this increase is a direct reflection on their potential and the continued growth of the Recreation Division in the coming years.Administration
Montana Trails, Recreation and Parks Association (MTRPA):
Sept. 16-19 most of our management team will be attending the MTRPA annual conference in Butte, America.Park Use Permits:
To date over 110 park use permits have been issued for events in the parks this year. Last year at this time we had issued 80. Two-thousand and fourteen has been a busy year in our parks and at our facilities. We currently have events scheduled through the end of October.StrikeZone Batting Cages
Swimming Lesson at Rose Park Pool
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Swords Park Trail Extension at Aronson Bridge
: It won’t be long before the trail at Swords Rimrock Park and the tunnel under Main Street will be connected. Construction work is currently under way to construct the final section of trail from the existing Alkali Creek Trail North of Alkali Creek Road and West of Aronson Avenue Bridge connecting to the existing sidewalk along Airport Road that currently ends at Swords Lane. With this final section completed, trail users can go from 27th Street at the Airport all the way to the Yellowstone River at the Water Treatment Plant and connecting to other trail segments along the way such as Alkali Creek, Aronson and Kiwanis Trails. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the first week of October.Ponderosa School Path:
This project is to extend an existing trail in parkland at Kings Green Subdivision over to Ponderosa Elementary School and then extending west along King Avenue East and then tying into the existing trail 2 ½ blocks away. The consultant has started their work and is about 75% complete. Given the nature of CTEP projects we are planning to have the construction package completed and approved by the end of the year with a spring 2015 construction window. A public meeting took place on September 2nd in which the project was explained. The vast majority of property owners are in favor of the project.Sale of Parkland:
Two parcels, one in Rehberg Ranch and one in Briarwood subdivisions were officially sold August 1st. Lampman Park will be put on the market this fall.4
Rebuild 7 Tennis Courts at Pioneer and Castle Rock Parks:
This project is to rebuild the existing courts utilizing a post-tensioned concrete system designed to compress the concrete slab to prevent cracks from opening up. We are currently evaluating a scope of work and fee from the highest ranked proposer. We are planning to have the contract ready for signature for the October 14th council meeting.Dog Parks:
The Friends of Billings Dog Parks (FBDP) Committee continues to work on their fund raising efforts and are looking for additional volunteers to serve. If you know of anyone interested in serving, please let me know. Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) is currently reviewing aMemorandum of Understanding to locate a dog park at their facilities. This has the potential of being a great partnership with YBGR and the City.
Centennial Park Master Plan Update:
The consultant has begun work on this project. Once base information is collected they will begin stakeholder interviews and analysis of findings. The interviews are anticipated to begin toward the end of this month.Community Outreach
August Volunteer Projects Summary:
During the month of August there were 223 volunteers that contributed 511 hours of work in the parks. Work completed by volunteers ranged from an Eagle Scout doing improvements to basketball courts to cleanups along the rims. Additional projects included preparing High Sierra Park for the fundraiser disc golftournament to be held in September.
Amend Park Community Gardens:
August was a busy month at the Community Garden. The first Parade of Gardens was held on August 9th. It was a project in collaboration with several other community gardens to promote awareness of the different gardening opportunities. The event was a big success and will be repeated next year. There were
numerous groups that volunteered at the garden including Youth Corps., Fresh Life Church, Rimrock Foundation, and the Audubon.
Projects included making a stepping stone path, weeding, and harvesting.
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Refresh the Rims:
Preparations are being made for the second annual Refresh the Rims at Swords Park on October 18th. Outdoor Adventure Leadership students from MSU-B are taking a lead role in planning and staffing the event again. The event will include additional projects such as graffiti removal and possibly a pilot use of a commercial vacuum truck to clean up broken glass.Scarecrow Fun Run Garden Fundraiser:
A fundraiser fun run forthe community garden is being planned for October 11th in conjunction with the Harvest Fest. Proceeds of the event will benefit the further development of the garden at Amend Park.
Upcoming Partnerships and Projects:
Upcoming partnerships include an Awareness Campaign in partnership with Montana State University-Billings (MSU-B) marketing class. The bulk of the project will take place during winter semester.Disc Golf Fundraiser Tournament:
The Disc Golf Fundraiser Tournament at High Sierra Park is moving forward quickly. Volunteers from Disc Golf Billings have been the main partner on the event. Sponsorships have been secured and the final preparations are being made for the tournament to proceed onSeptember 13th. Disc Golf Billings has worked with the Parks Division to lay out a temporary course utilizing removable baskets at High Sierra.
Park Maintenance
Turf Mowing:
Turf mowing in developed parks continues and has remained on schedule. Park staff has been mowing all Little League Baseball fields since July. Adjustments to the mowing schedule have been made at Ponderosa Park and Amend Park and others used by various soccer organizations in order to accommodate their playing schedules.Weed Management:
Fall application of turf weed herbicide in developed parks and Little League Baseball fields began the 1st week of September. Parks will treat several hundred acres of parks and parkland this fall. Mowing of private properties through the City Weed Abatement program continues.Dozens of private lots, properties and City owned properties were mowed during August.
Park Construction:
Construction of new parks in Copper Ridge, Ironwood, Falcon Ridge and Reflections of Copper Ridge subdivisions continues. Most of the park areas are designed to channel storm water to the lower end of the developments. Parks is working with the developers andengineering firms to correct several design flaws where the storm water management is not working and negatively impacting the parks.
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Shelter Rentals, Park Special Events and Soundstage:
During August, staff facilitated 134 shelter rentals, 21 park special events and 6 soundstage rentals. From April 1st to the end of August, staff facilitated 507 shelter rentals in City parks. Special events included the Magic City Blues Fest in South Park, Rockin the Rims in Coulsen Park, All Europe Car Show in Veterans, large church functions in Edgerton, Hawthorne and Pioneer and Riverstone Health Fair in South Park.Additionally, the Riverstone
Healthcare’s Farmers Market is held in South Park every Thursday.
Irrigation Systems:
There were over 10 large mainline irrigation breaks in Harvest, Olympic, High Sierra, Copper Ridge and Gorham during August. End of the season repairs and inspections to our large canal irrigation pumps have started and are ongoing. Over 375 sprinkler heads were replaced in various parks during August.Turf Fertilization:
Turf fertilization will not be done this fall. Park turf that was fertilized in the spring responded so well that we have determined that the fall application is not necessary.School Lunch Program:
The School Lunch Program ended the third week of August. Parksfacilitated the program in 6 parks every week day through the summer by providing shelter space, picnic tables, restrooms and trash removal in those parks. The program provides free lunch to children and serves thousands every summer.
Transients and the Homeless:
The homeless are continuing to be issues we are dealing with in numerous areas including North, South, Riverfront, Coulson and the Rims Parks. Department staff continues to work with the Police Department to remove transient shelters under Rims and below Swords Park and in Coulson and Riverfront. Over 10 homeless camps were removed from these areas in August. Transients and the homeless are living and sleeping in all of the aforementioned parks, using the restrooms to wash clothes and take baths, leaving trash, drinking, partying and hanging out. Park staff has to clean up after them in those locations daily.Urban Forestry
Park Tree Care:
The forestry crew pruned 200 mature park trees in August, in South, Hawthorne and North Parks. These 200 trees have an appraisal value of approximately $452,160.00. ProRover Tree Care completed a contract to prune 90 large mature trees at Mount View Cemetery and in Pioneer, South and North Parks. Several large Cottonwood trees were also removed at the Cemetery because they were becoming hazardous due to rot in the tree trunks.7
Emerald Ash Borer
: On August 19th, staff hosted a regional Emerald Ash Borer Workshop at the Billings Parmly Library. Over 100 tree care professionals from all over Montana and Northern Wyoming attended. Scientists and Urban Foresters from Agriculture Canada, Montana Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO. and Fort Wayne, Indiana made presentations regarding this devastating insect that attacks all species of Ash trees.Community Garden Tree Project:
Twenty Five fruit trees were planted by volunteers and Forestry staff at the Amend Park Community Garden.Cemetery
In August ProRover Tree Care was in the Cemetery trimming and removing old diseased trees that present safety concerns for cemetery visitors. A total of 77 hours was spent by the contractor pruning 8 trees and removing 7 trees. Parks forestry crew spent 4 hours removing stumps.
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C ITY -C OUNTY P LANNING D IVISION
Planning and Community Services Department 2825, 3
rdAvenue North
4
thFloor
Billings, MT 59102 406-247-8676
www.ci.billings.mt.us/planning
August 2014 Report
To: Board of County Commissioners, City Administrator, Mayor and City Council, Planning Board, Zoning Boards and Commissions, Planning and Community Services Department Director
From: Wyeth Friday, AICP, Planning Division Manager Date: September 18, 2014
Below is a list of items that the Planning Division has been working on for the past month.
Meeting Management and Support
Planning staff supported the regular meetings of the following Boards, Committees, and Commissions in August 2014. Each entity met once unless otherwise noted:
• Yellowstone County Board of Planning (2)
• City Zoning Commission
• City Board of Adjustment
• Policy Coordinating Committee
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Long-Range Planning Projects:
East Billings Master Plan Implementation – City staff from multiple departments in coordination with BIRD staff and the BIRD Board is working on a multi-property annexation and infrastructure project just east of the current EBURD boundary. The process will involve annexations, amending the EBURD Urban Renewal Plan, expanding the EBURD boundary, and constructing new infrastructure in the area. Staff in coordination with BIRD staff also is organizing training on the EBURD Form Based Code for architects, developers, and other community stakeholders. The training is expected to be held in the fall. Patty Nordlund and Kelly McCarthy are both employees of the BIRD and available to discuss business development and other activities in the EBURD. They may be reached at the BIRD offices at 1413 4
thAve. N., Suite C, Phone: 272-4321. Please visit
www.billingsbird.com and www.ci.billings.mt.us/planning for more information.2014 Transportation Plan – The Billings Urban Area 2014 Transportation Plan was approved by the Policy Coordinating Committee on July 15. The complete plan is at the Montana Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration for approval. The plan addresses Federal Highway Legislation - MAP-21, confirms street and highway projects within the urbanized area, and addresses freight, rail, transit and
alternative modes of transportation. An online version of the Approved plan and hard copies of the plan will be
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available soon through the City-County Planning Division website and offices. Visit the current project website at www.billingslrtp.com.
Highway 3 Corridor Planning Study – This study is analyzing the corridor along Highway 3 from the 27th Street and Airport Road intersection west to Apache Trail (approximately 5 miles). This corridor study will
provide an access plan for the above mentioned corridor including bike/pedestrian amenities along the rim-face, a parking plan and a detailed corridor storm water management plan. Information from residence and property owners along the corridor was collected by the consultant team headed by Sanderson Stewart at the first public meeting on June 25. This information is being used to develop concepts and alternatives for the corridor. The second public meeting for the project will be in October. For more information, contact Transportation Planning Coordinator Scott Walker at 247-8661 or at [email protected]
ZooMontana to Riverfront Park Pedestrian and Bicycle Trail Feasibility Study – This study is evaluating opportunities within the transportation system to improve non-motorized connectivity between ZooMontana located in southwest Billings, and Riverfront Park, located in south Billings. This Billings and Yellowstone County corridor is located, generally, between the S. Shiloh Road/Pierce Parkway intersection and the entrance to Riverfront Park on South Billings Boulevard (approximately 4 – 5.5 miles). Input was received from property owners at a public meeting on June 18 to help the consultant team, led by Alta Planning and Design, to develop alternatives for a trail corridor through the area. The second public meeting on this project will be on September 24 at Elysian School. More information on the meeting will be distributed soon. For more information, contact Transportation Planning Coordinator Scott Walker at 247-8661 or at [email protected]
South Billings Boulevard Urban Renewal District Master Plan Implementation – The South Billings Urban Renewal Association (SBURA) continues to focus on using Tax Increment Finance (TIF) funds for capital improvements. Calhoun Lane reconstruction is currently under design and rights of way are being acquired.
Expected start date is still in FY15 but major reconstruction will be delayed until spring 2015. The Jackson Street area sewer project is proceeding and Phase I is expected to be completed this calendar year. A design consultant was selected for the Ponderosa School trail which will provide a multi-use trail from King’s Green to the school and Ponderosa Park. This trail is being funded with CTEP and TIF funds. Other significant projects moving forward in the SBBURD include Orchard Lane reconstruction and Optimist Park Master Plan. The City Council granted the SBURA $10,000 from its contingency fund for the Master Plan.
Infill Policy Development – Staff is moving forward with implementing the strategies in the Infill Development Policy. Staff is coordinating with various groups and community members to host training sessions on working with the Building Code when redeveloping old buildings in the urban core are being planned for fall of 2014. Staff also is internally reviewing the Policy and beginning discussions on identifying infill areas in the City where some of the policy implementation efforts may be focused.
Billings Livability Partnership – The Partnership represents more than 20 community partners working to support Billings as a sustainable community. The group is led by co-chair arrangement between Planning and Community Services Department Director Candi Millar and Anya Fiechtl, of High Plains Architects, to bolster the private/public partnership effort of the group. A website for the group has been updated and may be
accessed at www.livablebillings.com. Staff will presented the draft of the MOU to City Council at the August 18 work session and will be bring it back for formal action at the September 22 Council meeting. The MOU is designed to supplement federal grant applications that require documentation of support from local
governments, businesses and community non-profits.
VISTAs Working with Planning Division and Billings School District #2 – Two VISTAs (Volunteers In
Service To America), Isaac Mevis and Emily Martin, are operating out of the Planning Division offices for the
next year as they work in a partnership between The City-County Planning Division and Billings Public Schools
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on programming, education, and activities to encourage elementary and middle school students to walk or bike to school safely and easily. They have started outreach efforts with several elementary schools, are meeting school administrative staff and educators, and are planning a first event at Washington Elementary School for September. Their office phone number is 237-6277, and the email addresses are [email protected] (Emily) and [email protected] (Isaac).
2014 City/County Growth Policy
Planning staff continues collecting data and organizing for the update to the Growth Policy. The Policy will cover both the unincorporated area of Yellowstone County and the City of Billings. The scenario planning technique will be employed for the Billings and its growth areas to help identify when and where the city should invest in infrastructure. A steering committee consisting of public agencies, private businesses and trade
organization s has been formed to help guide the process and held its first meeting on July 31. Focus groups will be engaged to help define community issues and guide the outcome of the plan. A website will be created for this process that will include a calendar of events, documents and data collected. Contact Candi Millar, 657- 8249 for more information. The first of many focus group and public meetings will commence in October.
Community Events/Training
The Division did not host any webinars for staff and the public in August. When webinars are hosted, they are advertised via email and on the Division’s website and anyone is welcome to attend.
Special Projects/Assignments
• The Division is using the Innoprise project management software system for all of its application and permit management and continues to make adjustments as staff becomes more familiar with the system.
The last step in the process is to migrate the data from the old H T E system into Innoprise. The Division is working with IT staff to complete this by the fall of 2014.
• Serving on Healthy by Design Advisory Committee through RiverStone Health to participate in various grant programs to review implementation of the healthy community strategies in the 2008 Growth Policy, Complete Streets Policy, Infill Development Policy, and 2014 City Council Strategic Plan.
Subdivision Coordinator Juliet Spalding is acting as co-chair of the Committee with RiverStone Health’s Melissa Henderson, Prevention Health Specialist.
• Serving on Traffic Control Board
• Serving on Billings Preservation Society
• Serving on Billings Depot, Inc. Board
• Attended Monthly Homebuilders Association Meeting with City staff
• Facilitated the Internal Development Process Review Committee meeting with staff from Planning, Building, Engineering, Fire and Administration.
• Facilitated Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee monthly meeting
• Attended the Billings Industrial Revitalization District meetings to maintain communication with the BIRD on various projects in the EBURD
• Attended the Development Process Advisory Review Board
• Facilitated South Billings Boulevard Urban Renewal District Association monthly meeting
• Continued meetings and coordination with downtown parking stakeholders regarding use of “bike staple” bike racks for public rights-of-way in the downtown area. Businesses, the City Parking Division, City Engineering Division, Parking Advisory Board, Downtown Alliance, and BikeNet have all been working toward adding bike racks to high-use areas in the downtown to further Downtown/Community Bike Parking Facilities Implementation.
See Staff Project Priorities and Application Review Activity in FY2015 Below
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Planning Division Staff Project Priorities 2014 - 2015
Project Priority
Completion Date
Transportation Plan 2014 1 2/1/14
City\School Collaborative Planning - SGIA Grant 1 11/1/14
Adjacent Neighborhood Meeting Facilitation 1 Ongoing
Neighborhood Task Force Support - webpages, agenda printing 1 Ongoing
Community Outreach** 1 Ongoing
SBBURA Administrative Support - legal ads, mailings, agendas, etc. 1 Ongoing Data Imaging System for Traffic Counts and Zoning Files* 1 Ongoing
County Web Page Update** 1 7/1/14
Growth Policy Revision 1 12/1/15
Annual Bike, Walk, Bus Week and Bike Month Activities 1 5/31/14
Board and Commission Training 1 8/1/15
Innoprise Migrate Historic Data/Citizen Access Implementation 2 12/1/14
Home Occupation License 2 10/1/14
Update Records Retention/Review Process** 2 Ongoing
Highway 3/Airport Road Corridor Study* ** 2 10/1/14
Intelligent Advanced Train Warning System 2 10/1/14
Downtown/Community Bike Parking Facilities Implementation 2 10/1/14 Create Historic District for North Elevation and McKinley School Historic
Listing 2 3/1/15
Zoning Code Revitalization** 3 Ongoing
Infill Policy Implementation** 3 Ongoing
Zoo to Riverfront Park Trail Feasibility Study 3 10/1/14
West End Traffic Study 3 1/1/15
East Wicks Traffic Management Study *** 3 1/1/15
Worked on in August Completed
* Aligns with 2014 Planning Work Plan
** Aligns with Current Council Strategic Plan and Initiatives and BOCC Initiatives
***This project will be addressed through other traffic management work under the City Engineering Division Priority Index
1 = Next 3 Months 2 = Next 6 Months 3 = Next 12 Months
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SUBDIVISIONS July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May June YTD
Totals
Pre-Application Meetings
City 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
County 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
Total 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
Preliminary Plats
City 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
County 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Final Plats
City 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
County 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
Exempt Plats
City 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
County 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11
Total 6 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16
ZONING
Neighborhood Meetings
City 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
County 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Zone Changes
City 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
County 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Special Reviews
City 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
County 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6
Total 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Variances
City 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
County 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
Medical Corridor City Only 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Zoning Clarifications
City 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
County 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
Zoning Compliance Permits (YC) 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10
Master Site Plan Reviews City Only 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Annexations City Only 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Deannexations City Only 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fence Permits
City 16 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27
County 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 16 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27
Sign Permits
City 6 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18
County 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 6 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19
Temp. Sign Permits
7
City 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
County 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
Temp. Use Permits
City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
County 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Building Permit Reviews City 96 94 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 190
