Mayor Nelson recommends that the City Council confirm the appointments to the following boards and commissions.
 

Name

Board/Commission

Term

			Begins	Ends
1	Hannah Harsha	Public Art Committee - Artist	01/26/26	TBD*
2	Thom MacLean	Public Art Committee - Economic/Comm Dev.	01/26/26	TBD*
3	Linda Hewett	Public Art Committee - Billings Art Assoc Rep.	01/26/26	TBD*
4	Logan Hendricks	Public Art Committee - Architecture	01/26/269	TBD*
5	Zack Terakedis	Public Art Committee - Interest in Art	01/26/26	TBD*
6	Sunny Day Real Bird	Public Art Committee - Interest in Art	01/26/26	TBD*
7	No Applications	Public Art Committee - NADC Rep.	01/26/26	TBD*
8	Derek Stennerson	EBURD Advisory Committee	01/26/26	TBD
9	Kari Boiter	SBBURD Elysian School District 23 Rep	01/26/26	12/31/28

TBD* — Three of the founding members of this committee will be assigned three-year terms; the other four will be assigned four-year terms.

The length of each member's term shall be established at the first meeting of the committee through a random process by having the members draw straws (or the equivalent) designating either a three-year or four-year term.  All subsequent members will be assigned four-year terms as required by BMCC Article 2-500.
 

N/A

The Mayor is requesting that the City Council confirm appointments to the following committees:

Public Art Committee for the newly formed committee as part of the Public Art Policy approved by Council with Resolution 25-11297. 
On September 22, 2025, the City Council approved Resolution 25-11297, which established a Public Art Policy for the City of Billings.

The development of this policy followed several years of work, beginning with the Mobilize the MAGIC City project. That project demonstrated strong community interest in public art and identified the need for a clear and consistent process for reviewing artwork proposed for City-owned property. The City’s previous public art policy had been repealed due to unclear language and difficult procedures. Council directed staff to prepare a new policy that would be straightforward, equitable, and easy to follow for applicants, staff, and decision-makers.

During preparation of the new policy, the Planning Division worked closely with a wide range of City departments, partner organizations, and local and national experts. Staff from Public Works, MET Transit, the Library, Parks, Facilities, the Airport, and other departments reviewed drafts and provided feedback. Additional input came from the National Endowment for the Arts, local artists and arts organizations, Big Sky Economic Development, the Billings Community Foundation, and the 30-member Mobilize the MAGIC City advisory committee. The City Council also reviewed and discussed the policy at multiple Legislative and Local Affairs Committee meetings and at two Council Work Sessions in July and August 2025. This feedback guided the final version of the policy.

The adopted Resolution established a seven-member Public Art Committee responsible for reviewing public art proposals, applying the standards outlined in the policy, and making recommendations to the City Administrator or City Council based on project cost. The policy defines the required committee membership, including representatives from the arts community, community and economic development, Native American organizations, design-related professions, and members of the public with an interest in public art.

Confirming the Mayor’s recommended appointments will complete the implementation of the policy adopted in September and allow the City to begin reviewing public art proposals using the new process.

Urban Renewal District Advisory Committee Members for the newly formed committees for each District - remaining appointments for SBBURD and the EBURD
At its meeting on August 25, the City Council approved resolutions directing the formation of three new Advisory Committees for the three Urban Renewal Districts in the City - SBBURD (Resolution 25-11292), Downtown District (Resolution 25-11293), and the EBURD (Resolution 25-11291). These resolutions specify the makeup of the new Advisory Committees and follow the City's code in BMCC 2-500 regarding operations of City boards and commissions.

This action aligns the City's Urban Renewal Districts with the 2025 Montana Legislature's passage Senate Bill 3 which required "the local government that adopts a tax increment financing provision shall appoint an advisory committee to advise the local government about the administration of the urban renewal area or targeted economic development district." The committee must include at least one representative from each incorporated city or town, county, or school district with boundaries that overlap with the urban renewal area or targeted economic development district. Per the adopted resolutions, staff has coordinated with the Mayor and City Administrator application processes for the seats on the new Committees.

The Mayor has reviewed those applications and is presenting these unfilled appointments for the two Committees per the process for Council confirmation.
 

The proposed action has no financial impact.

N/A

Council may:

• Confirm the proposed appointments; or 
• Not confirm the appointments and make other recommendations. However, the Elysian School District SBBURD Advisory Committee appointment was determined by the Elysian School District Board of Trustees and is its chosen representative to the SBBURD Advisory Committee.