BILLINGS — Yellowstone County commissioners began 2026 in a new home after a busy week of moving into the newly named Ostlund Building in downtown Billings on the corner of Third Avenue North and North 29th Street.
The building, once owned by the city, is now in county hands and represents a significant consolidation effort. Commissioners say the move allows all county resources to be housed in one space while paying tribute to one of their own.
Watch county commissioner talk about the move:
The Ostlund Building is named after Commissioner John Ostlund, who died in June when his plane crashed just south of town. County Commissioner Chris White, who replaced Ostlund on the commission, said the name was fitting.
"John gave so many years of his life to the county with him being in the Road and Bridge Department and then being on his fourth term as County Commissioner and everything that he did for Yellowstone County and all of his ties," White said Monday.
The building opened to the public this month, creating what officials describe as a one-stop shop for county services.
"For anybody that's coming in for County Services instead of having to go to the courthouse or trying to have to go to the courthouse, then to the Stillwater Building, then to come back across, it's kind of, for lack of a better terms, one-stop shop," White said.
The new facility houses everything from Motor Vehicles to Public Works to Emergency Services. While the move was busy for everyone, Clerk and Records had particularly heavy lifting with records dating back to the 1800s.
"We all moved earlier in January, and everybody's getting everything put together and all their pieces and parts," White said.
Construction crews remain on site as the building is still a work in progress, but White says they plan to finish by early February.
"The goal is by the first part of February that everybody will be in here and be set up, and like I said, it's an ongoing deal," White said.
The move comes as downtown Billings sees significant changes, with both city and county governments looking toward the future. The city recently opened its new home in the Stillwater Building, which serves as the new City Hall after standing empty for nearly a year.
The city purchased that building for $13 million in 2021.
