The City of Billings is scheduled to accept or assign ownership of the Babcock Theater by March 15, 2017, as part of a 2008 development agreement with Babcock, LLC, and the Downtown Billings Partnership to purchase and restore the Babcock retail building, which contains the theater.  One of the City Council Strategic Plan objectives for Fiscal Year 2016 is to identify future uses/management of the theater.  At a Feb. 1, 2016, City Council work session, the Council agreed to create an ad-hoc Council advisory committee to resolve the issue.  BMCC Section 2-224 Ad hoc council advisory committee, requires that the Council adopt a resolution that outlines the purpose or charge of the committee; the scope of its responsibilities, its composition and its duration.
The attached resolution is intended to meet those goals.

City Council may:

• Approve the resolution establishing the Babcock committee, or;
• Postpone action to another date; or
• Disapprove the resolution and  find another means to plan for the theater's future.

The committee will consist of Council  Members and volunteer citizens, and will be staffed by City employees, so the only costs anticipated for the short term are the costs of the staff's time. Future uses of the Babcock Theater may require an as-yet-to-be determined amount of funds for improvements, however.

Staff recommends approval of the resolution creating the Council ad hoc advisory committee on the Babcock.