BILLINGS — The City Council is reviewing six advisory boards and committees on Monday, weighing whether to dissolve each one.
The six on the chopping block are the Animal Control Advisory Board, Aviation and Transit Board, Board of Adjustment, Citizen Police Advisory Committee, Energy and Conservation Commissions and the Zoning Commission.
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City Council members Mike Boyett and Kendra Shaw said the review began after conversations with people connected to the boards.
"We went through our process of interviewing and talking to people about all of them to see if they were relevant or not, and that's what started the process," Boyett said.
Shaw and Boyett said the six being discussed all have their reasons.
"The thought was like, does some need to be combined? Are all of them functioning still?" Shaw said.
Some of the decisions are already effectively made. With the airport forming its own authority, the Aviation and Transit Board is no longer needed. The Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment are set to be dissolved due to changes in Montana state law, despite concerns from both Boyett and Shaw.
"They're going to go away by state law," Boyett said. "I don't like that idea."
"Well I don't love it, but we didn't get to choose it," Shaw said.
Council members also claim the Animal Control Advisory Board is not needed, citing low meeting attendance. Currently, only two of the five board seats are filled.
Where Shaw and Boyett disagree is on the fate of the Citizen Police Advisory Committee and the Energy and Conservation Commission. Boyett believes both should be disbanded due to a lack of attendance and no clear vision.
"It's embarrassing to have these meetings when nobody shows up," Boyett said.
Shaw sees it differently, particularly when it comes to the police committee.
"I look at it fundamentally different. I think the police board is really important," Shaw said. "Especially as we're about to hire a new police chief."
Chief Rich St. John recently announced he is retiring in September.
The Citizen Police Advisory Committee has operated since 2021 and is currently chaired by Kari Boiter, who says the group has made a significant impact in a short time.
"There's been a lot of people in the community who have come together in partnership with the Billings Police Department to build a bridge towards better communication and really shifting the culture," Boiter said. "It allows for direct dialogue between the citizens of Billings and the police department."
Boiter said she's disappointed that the committee could potentially be disbanded.
“I don’t understand why we would eliminate a board that costs the city next to nothing,” Boiter said.
City Council will vote on each committee or board separately, allowing for some of the groups to be eliminated and others to be saved. That vote will happen at the end of Monday's meeting at City Hall.
