The city of Billings has extended its current contract with the Billings Mustangs for use of Dehler Park for one year as the two sides continue negotiating a long-term deal, city officials announced Thursday.
The extension guarantees the Mustangs will continue to play at the park during the 2027 season, according to Gavin Woltjer, the city parks director.
It also allows for "additional time for the parties to evaluate future needs, establish shared priorities, and negotiate terms that best serve the interests of the community, the City, and the Mustangs," city officials wrote in a news release.
The current 10-year deal was set to expire July 31. Under that deal and the extension, the city is charging the Mustangs $60,000 annually for use of the park. The city was seeking to roughly triple that amount to $172,000.
"This extension provides stability while giving us the time needed to thoughtfully develop a long-term agreement that benefits everyone involved," Woltjer said in a statement. "Our focus is on ensuring uninterrupted service today while creating a strong partnership for the future with all present and new users of this space."
Over the next year, representatives from the city and the Mustangs will work together to review operational performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and establish a framework for a multi-year agreement.
“I’ve said from Day One that the Mustangs are an integral part of Billings – part of the city’s DNA,” Mustangs owner Dave Heller said in a statement released by the city. “We would never want to imagine the Mustangs without Billings or Billings without the Mustangs. That’s why I am so pleased that we were able to come to an interim agreement today and begin focusing on a long-term agreement soon. On behalf of the Mustangs family, I want to thank Mayor Mike Nelson, City Administrator Kevin Iffland and Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands Director Gavin Woltjer for working in the spirit of partnership to help secure the team’s future where it has always been and where it always belongs – in Billings, Montana.”
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