The City of Billings is scheduled to host the 2011 Montana League of Cities and Towns (MLCT) Annual Conference, to be held Oct. 5-7 in downtown Billings. The event brings municipal officials and their families from throughout Montana to downtown Billings, where they will utilize local hotels and restaurants.  This event is rotated annually among the major cities in the state, being held in Butte in 2010.

As part of its host duties,  the City is asked to pay for the annual President's Reception held on the first night of the conference.  The City Council also would like to help MLCT pay for other expenses associated with the event, including a memento for participants.  The Council will seek contributions to help pay for these expenses but wishes to ensure sufficient funds are available to offset costs. No funds are budgeted at this time.  At its Aug. 22 Business Session, the Council approved an initiative to put a resolution authorizing an expenditure of up to $10,000 for the conference on the Sept. 12 agenda. 

A simple majority of the Council Members present is required to approve the expenditure.

The Council may:

• Approve the resolution authorizing the expenditure of up to $10,000 for the MLCT 2011 Annual Conference;
• Modify the amount of the authorized expenditure or other parts of the resolution as desired; or
• Not approve the resolution, resulting in a need to raise community financial support for all events, or reducing the number of events.

The Council Contingency Fund is set at $65,000.  An allocation of $2,500 already has been made, leaving a balance of $62,500.

Staff recommends approval of the allocation of up to $10,000 from the Council Contingency Fund to the President's Reception at the MLCT 2011 Annual Conference, with the understanding that the amount will be reduced to the extent possible by contributions from the community.