Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Resolution of Intent to annex Wilson Park and set a public hearing date for March 24, 2025.

The City Council is being asked to begin the process to annex the area colloquially known as Wilson Park. State Law under 7-2-44 MCA provides municipalities the authority to annex contiguous government land. The subject property is 14.99 acres of land owned by the City of Billings. The property is legally described as: An unplatted parcel of land situated in the northwest one-quarter (NW ¼) of the southeast one-quarter (SE ¼) of Section 10, Township 01 south, Range 26 east, P.M.M., Yellowstone County Montana, more particularly described as follows: Beginning at the center quarter corner of said Section 10, said point being the Point of Beginning; thence S00º00’39”W a distance of 660.40 feet; thence S89º39’19”E following the northern boundary of the right-of-way for Hannon Road a distance of 988.25 feet; thence N00º07’28”E following the western boundary of Tract 1 of Certificate of Survey No. 119, Amended a distance of 661.02 feet; thence N89º41’28”W following the southern boundary of Lot 2, Block 1 of the Western Sugar Cooperative Subdivision a distance of 988.19 feet back to the Point of Beginning. Including all adjacent rights of way of Riverside Road & Hannon Road. 

MCA 7-2-4405 allows municipalities the authority to act on a Resolution of Intent creating a notice period and setting a public hearing for the annexation of the property. The attached Resolution of Intent sets the public hearing and consideration by City Council of the Resolution to Annex the property for March 24, 2025. A zone change is accompanying this annexation to ensure the property is zoned for an aneimal shelter and veterinary clinic. This zone change also will be heard at the March 24 Council Meeting.

The residents of Billings and the surrounding area would be positively impacted by a new animal shelter facility and clinic in this location as it is more centrally located and provides more room to provide for the shelter and a veterinary clinic and also buffer the facilities from the surrounding area and provide for future expansion. The decision of the City to both zone this City-owned property for this use, annex it into the City, and work with the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter and Rocky Vista University provides a great public/private partnership oppotunity to serve the area.

Section 7-2-44 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) provides the process for local governments to annex contiguous government properties. To comply with Section 7-2-4404 MCA, the City Council needs to adopt a Resolution of Intent to annex the property.

The Council may:

• Approve the Resolution of Intent to annex the contiguous property, creating a 20-day notice period and setting of the public hearing as provided in 7-2-4405 MCA, or;
• Disapprove the Resolution of Intent to annex the property and have it remain outside the City Limits. Not approving the annexation will not be in alignment with the Council's prior decisions to provide a new location for the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter and a veterinary clinic in conjunction with the Rocky Vista University Veterinary Program.

This annexation shall have no financial impact on the Planning Division.