County awards legal ad contract to YCN
Yellowstone County News was awarded Yellowstone County’s legal advertising contract by Yellowstone County Commissioners on Tuesday in a unanimous vote. read more
Author Archives: Evelyn Pyburn
Airport expansion project breaks ground
After years of planning, the expansion and remodeling project of the Billings Airport was kicked off on Monday with a ground breaking. Among the dignitaries present, the $55 million project was, frequently, referred to as a “huge deal,” for Billings. read more
The Billings Bypass will not be called the Billings Bypass
Maybe it will be called the Lockwood-Heights Commerce Park Way. The Montana Department of Transportation will name the proposed section of highway that will connect Johnson Lane in Lockwood to the Heights near the junction of Highways 312 and 87, … read more
Lockwood cuts ribbon on new CTE
The day beamed bright and beautiful. Everyone had a smile and the joy was irrepressible. Tuesday morning couldn’t have been more perfect for the ribbon-cutting on the first day of classes of the new Lockwood High School. read more
Planning Department 2020 budget finalized
The Policy Coordinating Committee that serves Yellowstone County and Billings approved the 2020 Billings Urban Area Unified Planning Work Program for the planning department, during a meeting on Tuesday. read more
Balancing the budget could mean lower county tax levies
Property taxpayers will see lower county tax levies on their property tax bills this year, in Yellowstone County, because the overall amount of taxable value on property in the county has increased by $24.88 million. Over half of that increase … read more
Arrow Island asks County for action on Yellowstone erosion
Residents of Arrow Island Subdivision, located near Shepherd, are anxious about the potential of being flooded out by the Yellowstone River should action not be taken to stop the erosion of the river bank. They do not believe there is … read more
County’s public Budget hearing set
Yellowstone County Commissioners have set public hearings at which to consider final approval of the county’s 2019-20 FY Budget. The hearings will be held on Tuesday, August 27 at 9:45 am for public comment; and on Tuesday September 3, 9:45 … read more
State asks Yellowstone County for contract, setting jail rates
Sheriff Mike Linder is sending a letter to the state Department of Corrections (DOC) to inform them that the actual cost to Yellowstone County to house a prisoner is $77.22 a day – not the $69.31 that the Montana State … read more
County Economics 2019
2019 is unveiling to be a year of continued growth, according to the state’s premier economist, Pat Barkey of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (UM), in a mid-year update of Montana’s economy, last week. “It’s a good news … read more
FPE Union drops suit against County
The Federation of Public Employees (FPE) has dropped its lawsuit against Yellowstone County in exchange for an agreement of Yellowstone County commissioners to enter into contract negotiations. read more
County considers jail expansion
As the county weighs proposals for the new budget for FY2019-20, one of the pending considerations is whether to construct a new booking area for the Yellowstone County Detention Center. read more
Bryan comments on Yellowstone County Budget
Looking to the future – anticipating what space will be needed and figuring out a strategy of how the county will be prepared to meet those needs, is a primary focus of the coming year’s budget, for Director of Finance … read more
Commissioners discuss 2 percent salary increase for county officials
To increase salaries of elected county officials by two percent is a pending motion before the Yellowstone County Elected Officials Compensation Committee, which held its first meeting last Tuesday. They will meet again on June 25 to make a final … read more
Erecting the symbol of success for Lockwood
The first element of the new Lockwood High School that observers will see rise from the earth will be the walls of the auditorium. That will happen the third week in May, according to Joe Clark of Langlas Construction. Clark … read more
Local Government weighs mill levies in the balance
What local government might run a mill levy request of the voters and when? That seemed to be one of the top concerns of local government officials during a luncheon discussion last week at the Lincoln Center among a broad … read more
City admin chats with commissioners
The administrator for the City of Billings, Chris Kukulski dropped in for a visit with Yellowstone County Commissioners’ during their discussion period on Monday afternoon. He reviewed several issues including the possibility that the city and county could share the … read more
Lockwood Sewer rate to go up in July
Higher sewer rates will go into effect on July 1 for the Lockwood Water and Sewer District, including higher system development fees for Phase 2 Sub-district, the implementation of which were originally postponed to encourage residents to connect to the … read more
Landscape zoning Re-codes approved by County Commissioners
Yellowstone County Commissioners have approved changes to landscaping zone regulations. The amendment is the first segment of changes that is the product of Project Re-code, which is a long-term endeavor to update the county zoning regulations. read more
County Commissioners say ‘YES’ to YVEC at Shiloh Rd
Yellowstone County Commissioners approved, last week, a zoning reqsuest that will allow Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative to build an electrical substation in a residential area at the corner of Shiloh Road and Central Avenue just outside the city limits of … read more
