On March 22, 2010, the City Council approved a Letter of Interest to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting technical assistance to develop a collaborative planning process for siting school facilities. The City was not awarded the assistance at that time. Another round of technical assistance was announced by EPA in October, 2011, entitled the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) program. Staff revised the earlier Letter of Interest and obtained several letters of support from local agencies including Big Sky Economic Development, MET Transit, Riverstone Health, Billings Public Schools, Housing Authority of Billings, Montana Parent Teacher Association and the Chamber of Commerce. Senators Tester and Baucus also provided letters of support. Because this Letter of Interest was similar in scope to the original letter approved by the Council in 2010, staff did not request further approval from Council but did obtain the Mayor’s signature. The Letter was submitted on October 28, 2011 to the EPA. Candi Beaudry, Planning and Community Services Department Director, and Kathy Aragon, School District 2 Trustee, were notified by email, on February 7, 2012 that the City had been awarded the technical assistance. Staff was instructed to not reveal the news until the EPA had arranged a media event to announce the award. The EPA allowed City staff to publicly announce the award and the planned media event on Friday, March 30. On April 2, 2012, Candi Beaudry and Kathy Aragon, joined by Jim Martin, EPA Region 8 Administrator and approximately 20 people representing the supporting agencies and the Montana congressional delegation, led a “walking school bus” from the school crossing at Poly Drive and 11th Street West to Highland Elementary School. At the school, the group examined the recently installed “boltage meter” which monitors the walk-to-school progress of the students and listened to the EPA Administrator announce the award of the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance to the City of Billings.

Staff is requesting City Council accept the award of the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance. The Council may choose to either accept or reject the award.

The SGIA program is not a grant and there is no direct financial aid. Instead, the EPA will provide technical assistance to the City to help develop a framework for collaborative planning between the City and School District #2. The planning tools will emphasize school facility planning, but can also be used to coordinate other activities between the City and the Billings Public Schools. The process will be led by a team of qualified consultants selected by EPA and guided by a local committee of six citizens; three appointed by the Mayor and City Council and 3 appointed by the School District Superintendent. The committee will help define the scope and outcome of the project.

Staff recommends that the City Council accept the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance awarded to the City of Billings by the US EPA to develop a collaborative planning process between the City and Billings Public Schools.