Staff recommends that Council approve submittal of the Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects application to the US Department of the Interior and approve acceptance of the grant should it be awarded.

The City of Billings is seeking grant funding from the Bureau of Reclamation through its WaterSMART Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects program. The Parks and Recreation Department is seeking a grant of $100,000  to fund the replacement and automation of the irrigation system at Millice Park, a project that is included in the Council-adopted 2025-2029 CIP. The grant would help extend the reach of the Park Department's irrigation automation program by adding federal match to the Millice project, which is roughly estimated to cost $436,000. The grant requires a 1:1 match, which the Parks budget for irrigation repair/replacement can reach in FY25.

City Council may:

• Approve; or,
• Not Approve

The Parks Department has already included this project in the 2025-29 CIP. A grant award of $100,000 would allow the Department to reallocate those funds to other irrigation/parks projects. The Millice Park irrigation project is estimated at $436,000 for the full project cost.

The Parks Department budgets for one to two irrigation projects each year. Receipt of a WaterSMART grant of $100,000 would allow the Department to reallocate some of those funds to another irrigation project. The Millice Park project is slated for construction in FY25.