The City of Billings is bidding farewell to City Administrator Chris Kukulski as he prepares to depart for Harbor Springs, Mich.
Current and former council members, city employees, and members of the community were encouraged to attend the farewell gathering hosted by Interim City Administrator Kevin Iffland in the Community Room at the Billings Public Library on Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Watch highlights from the event below:
Kukulski reflected on his time leading the city, crediting collaboration between staff and the city council as a cornerstone of his tenure.
"To me, we're building a city and we do that with a collection of people through collaboration. And I had a great team to work with both as the staff and as the city council. So, didn't always agree. Things are tough. Some decisions are tough, but all in all, everybody wanted to move Billings forward and I feel like that's what we got to do," Kukulski said.
Among his most memorable experiences, Kukulski cited both personal and professional milestones tied to the city.
"It'll be mostly around the people, the relationships, [...] professional and friendships. Seeing our daughter and son-in-law get married at the depot downtown, going to ballgames at Dehler Park, going to concerts at the Alberta Bair Theater and accomplishing things. The public safety levies, [...] the construction projects breaking down on the water plant and the reservoirs, so lots of tangible and intangible things to remember," Kukulski said.
Iffland will serve as interim city administrator as Billings moves forward in its search for a permanent replacement. The City Council is planning to hire a head-hunting firm to develop a salary and job description to aid in the nationwide search. Kukulski made $218,000 annually.
Kukulski was hired in 2019 to the city's top job. He told the city in March that he was planning to resign to take the new job in Michigan, which is his home state.
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