Author: Evelyn Pyburn

Impact of Project Recode Puts Casinos at Risk, Worries Builders

8 December 2020
Evelyn Pyburn
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Bar and casino owners in Billings and Yellowstone County are very apprehensive about the impact of a revamping of zoning regulations, called Project Re-code, which is very near to being adopted by both the city and county. One owner said the code could have “traumatic consequences” for the gaming industry.

Real estate agents and builders also voiced concerns to the Billings City Council on Monday, prompting the council to postpone further action until December 14. Last week, Yellowstone County Commissioners also delayed taking action on the county’s revised codes, which differ than those being considered by the city.

Regulators have been working on rewriting the 600 plus page document for three and a half years and one of its authors, Darell Tunnicliff, questioned why it’s detractors are waiting until now to object to some of its requirements. Tunnicliff is among  a dozen or so citizens who were appointed by the City County Planning Board to completely overhaul the codes.

Nicole Cromwell, Billings Zoning Coordinator and Code Enforcement Supervisor, said that since the first hearing on November 9, her office has received many calls and emails from casino/bar owners, builders, sign companies and real estate agents with concerns. Most of the time, she said, they were mistaken in their interpretations of what was meant and clarifications on her part satisfied them.

The passage of Re-code will immediately put almost all 134 casino and bar owners in Billings out of compliance. A 600-foot distance requirement from parks, churches, schools and residents, was specifically designed to do that, in order to push such businesses into being concentrated in a few areas of the city. Cromwell said that once in force, only five casinos on Grand Avenue will be in compliance with Re-code. Non-complying businesses are “grandfathered in” until they have to rebuild or remodel for some reason.

As one owner, Fred Liske, wrote to the city council, “If a bar or casino gets destroyed by accident or disaster, it can’t rebuild as a bar or casino if it doesn’t fit the new zoning requirement.” He was among numerous gaming owners pointing out the issue, saying the requirement stands to destroy the property values, investments and livelihoods of all those involved in the business.

City Councilwoman Pam Purinton urged the council to agree to a delay to allow the Planning Department to deal with the citizens’ concerns.

Wyeth Friday, who heads the Planning Department, and a number of council people, expressed frustration with the delay saying that some of the issues they were being asked to re-examine were achieving exactly the things that those writing the codes said they wanted to do, especially those having to do with casinos.  City planners expressed concern that by entertaining the citizen’s current complaints about Re-code, the council was initiating a process that could go on for a long time and shouldn’t be encouraged.

City Councilwomen Penny Ronning  and other council people made the point that the distancing regulations were the result of safety concerns of residents located near those kinds of businesses and that those concerns were valid and just as important as business interests.

“I don’t think you can devalue private property like that,” said one casino owner,  pointing out that it would “create a skid row. You can’t put one kind of business in one area of the city.” He said he had asked for a map indicting where casinos and bars “would be allowed to locate”, but had not received one.

There were others who questioned why casinos are being targeted and whether that is a legal policy.

City Attorney Brent Brooks was asked whether the document has been reviewed for its legality, to which he replied that it has not and advised that that process needs to be done.

“We need to weigh it very carefully,” he said, “We need to look at it… and  be very careful and get it right and accurate so that property owners will know exactly what is going to happen.”

Among other concerns expressed most frequently by real estate agents was what they believed were requirements for homeowners to hire professional landscapers to landscape their property. It added to the cost of home ownership they said, and would not help housing affordability.

Cromwell said that the regulations were not directed at home owners but at developers and pertained primarily to the aesthetic requirement for trees.

Council members asked the staff to look at rewording the landscaping code since so many comments were about it, which indicated that it was not understandable.

Other issues which prompted citizen concerns had to do with garage doors and spacing for residential units, single use zoning, etc. many of which said builders would add to the cost of home ownership.

“State is on Fire” with COVID Cases; More Restrictions Declared Necessary

8 December 2020
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Evelyn Pyburn

In speaking to County Commissioners, County Health Officer John Felton said that although he is normally an optimistic person, “It’s getting increasingly hard to be optimistic,” regarding the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

“The state is just on fire with cases,” said Felton.

The number of cases is nearing 100 per 100,000 population, which Felton said is very serious. Just under 6 percent of the population has been infected.

 Montana has been experiencing escalating cases since mid-September, (see accompanying article) Felton said that he doesn’t know what else to do other than impose more restrictions, which happened with announcement from Governor Bullock that requires bars, restaurants and casinos to reduce capacity from 75 percent to 50 percent and to close at 10 pm – limitations that are the same as being totally shutdown for many businesses, beginning Nov. 20.

Felton broadened the restrictions on hours of operation to include all businesses. He has also hired four “liaison officers” to patrol businesses in Yellowstone County and oversee training of people failing to comply and oversee legal proceedings of enforcement against businesses.

“I know that there are significant economic impacts,” Felton said, noting that the situation is even more severe since, “we don’t have access to all the supports we had in the beginning with the CARES act.”

Montana ranks ninth in the nation in terms of COVID cases per 100,000 population which is at 95.4.

After the impact of the Canyon Creek nursing home cases, the number of cases in Yellowstone County dropped to a level more in keeping with its share of population, at about 16 percent.

Yellowstone County’s hospitals are at capacity. Besides space, the hospitals are struggling with having adequate staffing since many are either sick or quarantining.

“This is becoming a pretty significant issue for us,” said Felton.

The number of regional patients fluctuates between 40 and 60 daily. Billing’s medical community serves a regional population of about 650,000 people.

People have occasionally asked why they don’t just refuse to accept out- of- county patients, to which Felton explained that Billings has spent the last 40 years establishing itself as a regional medical center and has thrived economically on that distinction, in addition they have a moral responsibility to live up to the commitment.

Felton also pointed out that staffing issues are impacting local businesses, making it difficult for them to stay open. It is not that much different for them than being required shut down. Staffing shortages are also the primary issue with which schools are dealing.

Schools “haven’t seen a large number of kids becoming ill,” reported Felton. There has only been a slight increase in the number of cases since school began.

Yellowstone County is experiencing more deaths, said Felton. As of press time, the County had 107 deaths, with the number of confirmed cases in the county nearing 10,000. The state has had almost 50,000, with 543 deaths.

Felton rebuffed claims that hospitals get funding based on the number of COVID cases reported. He said, “There is no economic benefit to say that someone dies of COVID when they don’t.”

The good news lies in reports that there are two effective vaccines on their way. How they will be distributed has yet to be determined, and it is likely that the vaccines will have to be taken repeatedly, not unlike flu shots.

“I don’t know where the end point is,” said Felton, “….There is no evidence that we are at the top. What slows it down is when people decide this is enough. I have to do my part.”

“We know how to slow this thing down. ..There is no ‘magic sauce’”

It requires masking, distancing, and sanitizing. Bars, restaurants, gyms, schools and churches should be closed – “but we haven’t done that… now we are at the point.”

 “There are no good choices,” said Felton.

American Steel Steps Into Future of Robots

7 December 2020
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Evelyn Pyburn

The future belongs to companies that are keeping pace with available technology. American Steel, Inc. in Billings is well aware of that and they are taking very measured steps to keep at the forefront of their industry, steel fabrication.

American Steel recently announced the appointment of a manager who will lead the company into that future.  Curtis Childree has been named as the new Vice President, bringing with him years of hands-on experience learned from the ground up, which gives him a depth and breadth of knowledge that will serve the company and industry well.

American Steel, located at 1655 Coulson Road in Lockwood, has already installed some major pieces of new technology over the past three years, investing some $1.5 million in robots and management programs that are transforming the way they do business and expanding the level of service they can provide their customers, which most typically are the owners, contractors and erectors of buildings.

Acquiring the technology is but a small part of the process, points out David Lewis, who has been charged by company owner, Bill Kronmiller, with the challenge of overseeing the transition. “To transition from where it was to where it is going to go,” said Lewis, “requires knowing how the leadership is going to react to the changes. There needs to be changes in the way the business thinks about how things are done and the way it behaves.”

The new technology is making production more efficient, which increases the level of service, often at less cost. “Vendors are excited for the change,” said Lewis, who explained that American Steel is not a large company and described it as a “boutique” fabricator, where “we weld things together.”  Most of their customers are within the Montana region.

Lewis sees himself as a short-timer. Having once accomplished his mission, he will retire in a couple of years. Childree and the newly trained and transitioned staff will be the future for American Steel.

Kronmiller acquired full ownership of American Steel in May 2016. He founded the company with partner Paul Neutgens in 1998 in west Billings. They built a new plant in Lockwood in 2009.

Since the adoption of the new processes and equipment, American Steel exceeds almost every standard set by the AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction).

Their first project, which served as their “jumping off point” for their new skills and processes was the construction of Shiloh Commons at Central Avenue and Shiloh. By the end of that project, said Childree, “We had a baseline from which to work and we have continued to change things… change has been constant.” The American Steel team members “are now more than willing to try something.” They are understanding that changes will be “fruit-bearing down the line,” said Childree, a Montana native who over 15 years ago started in his first job as a janitor at a fabricating company in Lewistown, becoming a welder after leaving the National Guard, and advancing from one role to another at American Steel, as a Beam-line operator, detailer, project manager and learning computer programming.

At the forefront of the new technology that has been adopted by the company is a program that allows them to build a model that involves designing and planning, down to the most minute detail… not only where each nut and bolt goes but when it will go there. The process allows them to identify overlapping conflicts and to solve problems before they materialize. The model is available to everyone involved with the project, from shop managers, each of whom has a computer, to the project owner and contractors. “All that information helps our customers in other planning,” explained Childree.

It is not uncommon for a project model to involve 36,000 pieces, said Childree. “Every item is defined to within 16th of an inch.”  The program also provides for detailed scheduling, which allows American Steel to predict to the exact day when a load will be delivered to the worksite and to provide with confidence a completion date.

Other amazing pieces of technology are two robots – one they call “Ratchet” that welds pieces astoundingly precise and rapidly, and the other called “Rosie” that cuts through steel as though it was butter, using “controlled lightening.” Operating the robots requires considerable training and skills, which their managers have not only achieved, said Lewis, but many he considers world-class operators.

“The introduction of these technologies by itself is just expensive if you don’t have individuals able to use it. It comes down to people,” said Lewis, who came to Billings in the 1980s by way of Eugene, Oregon. He has built businesses paralleling the advancement of computerization, and has developed a very practical philosophy about technology. He noted how quickly “revolutionary changes” in technology, becomes “second nature,” to the people using it.

There is a lot of fascination as well as angst about AI (artificial intelligence), with many worried that “you can take humans out of the situation,” said Lewis. There is a fear that employment will be less. Lewis points out though, that as amazing as technology has been “there has always been human thinking involved.” That will continue to be the case, he believes, and rather than less opportunity there will be more, as has been the case for American Steel’s 44 employees. Their jobs have become more interesting and challenging with more pay as productivity and skill levels increase. “Robots don’t replace people, they enhance them,” he said, “…a robot doesn’t have skills,” it is the skilled craftsman that is innovative.

Montanans are more willing than most to embrace change and to adapt, said Lewis. “You show Montanans why you want to adapt to technology and they get it. They love it. They want to be competitive and they realize if they don’t someone else, somewhere else, will be.”

Both Lewis and Childree frequently referred to the new technologies as “toys” and that time working with new technology is “playtime,” and that is how most of their employees are responding to it. When human beings are at play, “that is where the human mind develops the fastest,” said Lewis.

2M Home Grown Company Now Serves all Western US

22 November 2020
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Evelyn Pyburn

Quietly growing and expanding in a southwest corner of Billings is a homegrown, family-founded business that has made a giant foot print throughout the west. 2M Company is an amazing success story for our community as the kind of business that generates a rock solid foundation for the local economy.

In 1978, Hollis A. (Bill) Mills and Chester Majors pooled their resources and started the 2M Company, a water well wholesale supplier.

During their first year the two experienced salesmen had $1.5 million in total sales and paid wages of  $100,000. From 2000, company sales increased from $21 million with a payroll of $2 million to over $44 million and a payroll of $4.5 million in 2007.  Since then they have maintained a 15 percent annual growth rate and fully expect to see sales exceed $200 million within the next five years, predicts H. A. “Buzz” Mills, Bill Mill’s son, who is now the company’s president.

“We have quadrupled sales since 2008,” said Buzz, “and a lot of it is market share growth.”

2M has 8000 customers, most typically professional licensed contractors who interface with the end users of pumps, water wells, well monitoring equipment, sprinkler systems, pipeline designs, booster system, etc. for residential, municipal and industrial sewage systems including landscapers, manufacturers, mining companies, farmers, etc.

Buzz Mills believes that the success of the company rests upon the fundamental philosophy which was the impetus for the two M’s, his father and Majors, to start the business, which was to build a wholesale company around the principal that the customer always comes first. The philosophy and 2M’s dedication to it, has come to be recognized throughout the industry and dubbed “Legendary Service.”

Bill Mills had been the manager of a water well wholesale supplier, and Majors was a factory representative. Both men were tired of working for companies that only thought about the bottom line. They wanted to give back to the people who make a business successful, and to have fun doing it.

Strictly adhering to that philosophy has been the company’s every day commitment and it remains at the forefront, today, says Buzz Mills, proudly.

Much has changed since the company’s founding.  In 2017 it became part of Headwater Companies, a collective group of groundwater distributors owned by Franklin Electric. While 2M is no longer a family-owned business, Buzz Mills still manages the company.

At the time that Franklin Electric acquired 2M they also acquired Western Hydro Corporation, based in California, which now functions in tandem with 2M. Both 2M and Western Hydro are continuing operations with the same management style, history and culture that built them, however the financial and accounting administration of Western Hydro has been moved to the Billings office.

2M has 15 locations in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon, including four locations in Montana. Western Hydro has 12 locations in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada and Utah.

Company wide, 2M and Western Hydro employ 237 full time people; forty of those are based in Billings, of which 30 are dedicated to the administration of the two companies.

To this day, 2M remains true to “Legendary Service” standards. Buzz explained that they have a dedicated training center in Billings and employ a full time training manager who works with the employees and their customers to pass along product knowledge, application and design, and to assure “Legendary Service” every time they encounter a customer. Given the rapid and dynamic technological advances over the years, their training has become all the more important.

Buzz grew up with the company. As a boy, he can clearly remember opening day, sitting at his father’s desk, observing the bustle of activity around him. It was at 2M that he gained his first job. And, he remembers walking through the brand new corporate facility with amazement in 2007, which is when he was named president and general manager, having spent 15 years working from the bottom up, and graduating college from MSU-Billings.

Chester Majors retired in 1993 and Bill Mills became sole owner.

While Bill Mills has retired, he remains an important advisor to the company.

Buzz is proud of his company’s employee retention rate. One of their employees “remembers me when I was eleven years old,” he said.

2M’s employees reflect the high caliber of workers in Montana. It was this high employee quality that influenced the decision to make Billings headquarters for all 27 locations of 2M and Western Hydro, said Buzz. 2M has two locations in Billings, a couple blocks apart, one the administration center and the other a warehouse, at 5249 Holiday Avenue and 1215 Cordova Street.

During its 40-plus years of operation, 2M has always been a leader in its industry which meant initiating many “firsts.” The “firsts” often reflect things that while being revolutionary in their day have become so common place that they hardly seem worth mentioning today – such as being the first to offer customer toll free numbers, a reminder that there was a time when almost any business phone call was an expensive proposition. All telephone services posed a significant barrier and cost for most businesses.

2M was the first wholesaler in the industry to provide delivery cargo vans, cash discounts, dealer meetings, and trip promotions. They were also the first to offer factory fly-ins, Saturday morning hours, emergency service 24/7, extended summer hours, a website, on –line ordering, and building programs.

Among its customers 2M remains noted for their many customer benefits and promotions, which includes trip promotions and an annual event which last year involved hosting 740 customers and their spouses on a 5-night trip to the Dominican Republic.

Speaking of revolutionary changes, 2M started up as an enterprise at a time when doing business on a national scale from Montana was considered very challenging, fraught with many disadvantages. Technology and innovations have changed much of that. Computers, the internet and improvements in communications have to a large extent removed many barriers. About the only disadvantage that a Montana –based business struggles with today is the lack of air service, said Buzz. As someone who usually spends an average of 130 days a year in over-night traveling throughout the western United States, Buzz knows, of what he speaks.

Given the Coronavirus crisis, this year has been very different. Buzz has spent less than 30 days traveling, and much of that included a car trip through five states. Options for air travel have been even more limited, but the cost of lodging is greatly less, he pointed out.

There’s been an upside to the situation. Buzz explains, “I had a day-long meeting in Denver from a website sitting in my office. Everyone could see each other. It was a good meeting, and at the end of the day, I went home.”

Like so many other people during the crisis, Buzz has had more time on his hands, and like so many others he turned to doing home improvements, renewing landscaping and installing a new sprinkler system. Since many other people have done likewise it has meant increased business for 2M, despite the many other changes they have had to make.

Buzz says he sees many of the changes remaining in the future, such as meeting more virtually and traveling less. And there will be changes in how many other industries do business, who are 2M’s customers  – especially in the livestock and food industries. Being able to get water efficiently and economically is going to be even more important predicts, Buzz.

Red Wave Sets Rare Political Trifecta

20 November 2020
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Evelyn Pyburn

The people of Montana have “thrown down the gauntlet,” and have challenged Republicans to show what they can do, stated Republican Brad Tschida, who was 2019 House Majority Leader and recently re-elected to HD97 in Missoula. On Nov. 3, the Republicans swept all statewide offices and netted many new positions in both houses of the state legislature, achieving a rare “trifecta” in state political power.

The Republicans have been saying they can govern better and the voters of Montana have said, “prove you are in fact better to run the government,” surmised Tschida, regarding the fact that Republican Greg Gianforte won the governorship and Republicans won a veto-proof majority in both the House and the Senate.

“It’s the first time in 84 years that something like this has happened, “ said Tschida, “It doesn’t take much insight to know it is significant.”  But why it happened isn’t all that clear, Tschida puzzled, adding that it was probably a myriad of factors. Significant, however, was probably “seeing all the riots and lawlessness that was going on, and I think people think Republicans have a better grasp on supporting law enforcement and safety.”

This may be the first time in history that Republicans swept all the offices – including all the State Land Board Offices, as well as the Public Service Commission positions, said Jon Benion, a senior staff attorney for the Montana Attorney General’s office. Benion is something of an expert on the history of Montana politics having written the book, “Big Sky Politics.”

“I don’t know if we have ever had a time when Republicans controlled all Land Board offices,” said Benion, “The Democrats did in 2008, “when they swept all offices except for Dennis Rehberg’s  US Congressional seat.”

When looking at history, it becomes obvious that there is something of a 16- 20 year cycle regarding party control in Montana, said Benion.  “From 1988 to 2000 the Republican brand was strong, and then Democrats were golden from 2004 to 2008.”

Montana is typically known as a red state, said Benion, but that is mostly because the state predictably votes for Republican presidents. Clinton winning in 1992 was out of the norm, but that was because Ross Perot was a third party candidate. One has to go back to 1964 before Montana supported another Democrat presidential candidate as part of the Lyndon B. Johnson landslide.

Asked what he thought the Republican sweep would mean in the next state legislative session, Benion quipped, “It means a lot fewer vetoes.”

Tschida, too, cited that as one of the most significant aspects of the election wins. Having a Republican governor for the first time in 16 years, will undoubtedly more easily advance Republican policies. Even though Republicans have controlled both houses for the past couple of sessions, a lot of their measures were vetoed by Democrat Governor Steve Bullock and before him, by Democrat Governor Brian Schweitzer, who gained some notoriety for the number of his vetoes.

Going into the 2021 session, the Republican majority in the House will be sufficient to override a governor’s veto or to pass measures that require a two-thirds majority without winning Democratic votes.

With Republican Greg Gianforte winning the governorship, Republicans also picked up nine legislative seats in the Montana House and one in the Montana Senate — enough to expand their majorities to 67 of 100 House seats and 31 of 50 Senate seats. Cascade County Republicans made a total sweep of their legislature districts. Democrats didn’t win a single Republican-held legislative seat.

Tschida was not too certain what the priorities for the Republicans will be. There are a lot of things that need to be addressed and he quickly recited a long list starting with First and Second Amendment rights, water rights and protecting “the most vulnerable.”

Tschida wants to demonstrate that the Republicans do not just stand opposed to expanding government, “but that we want smart government.”

The rules and details of how the legislative session will be run and their leadership will be ironed out in caucuses of both parties on November 18 and 19 in Helena.

“We are going to see some good legislation that will save money and benefit Montanans….we will get business-friendly legislation passed, reduce the size of bureaucracies and the regulatory impact on businesses….We will have a legislative and executive branch that will create a positive environment to serve the needs of the population and not government.”

Property taxes will undoubtedly be a big issue, given that the rapid rise in home values is pushing a lot of people out of their homes.

An obvious issue will be what Tschida called “over-reach by the outgoing administration regarding masking people up and shutting business down. If you look at what they did — not a single state, county or city job was deemed as non-essential.  Every one of them kept their jobs. The entire impact of COVID was born by the private sector. It caused businesses to shut down forever. “

The government failed to look at the broader impact of its actions in shutting down the economy and imposing other restrictions, according to Tschida. “By their actions they promoted more domestic violence, child abuse, an increase in the amount of drug and alcohol abuse… they didn’t look at the myriad of impacts that those decisions had on people.”

BSED Outlines 2021 Legislative Goals

19 November 2020
Evelyn Pyburn
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The next session of the Montana State Legislature is scheduled to begin on Jan. 4, 2021.

Prior to each legislative session, organizations of all sorts usually announce their legislative priorities – those issues, policies and proposals, for which they plan to lobby or support.

Yellowstone County’s economic development agency, Big Sky Economic Development (BSED) is among the many that have announced their list of priorities going into the next legislative session. The agency, which administers both Big Sky Economic Authority and Big Sky Economic Corporation, has identified a broad range of issues at both the state and local level that it considers important.

BSED’s legislative priorities at a local level parallels those at the state level, and includes the goal of Yellowstone County to change state law to allow more flexibility in establishing long-term leases of county properties, which might better encourage private business investment.

BSED’s goals include supporting the continued funding of Medicaid which will bolster local and regional healthcare providers.

They will also stand behind any proposed funding of Montana State University-Billings, including what has been identified as a need for investment in the health care and science professions.

BSED wants to Protect Tax Increment Financing, saying that “urban renewal and target economic development districts need to be supported as one of the few economic development tools available to support the redevelopment of our downtown core and to build infrastructure that supports the growth of value-added industry.”

BSED’s legislative priorities include endorsing the goals of the Montana Economic Development Authority and the Montana Chamber of Commerce’s “Next Generation of Community and Economic Development Tool Analysis,” which is essentially a number of funding proposals and laws that will empower agencies to develop programs and projects.

The priorities include reorganizing the state’s economic development programs and subsidies for job creation. They also advocate for a reorganization of the Department of Commerce and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

They want to fund incentives for recruiting and retaining workers in Montana and to encourage entrepreneurship.

The priorities include support for a statewide strategy to improve broadband accessibility, and revenue to support investment in 5G networks.

And they want the state legislature to explore funding sources to help advance economic development programs and projects to be created in future legislative sessions – laws which would enable government funding of “infrastructure and community development assets.”

To explore options for affordable daycare and programs supporting “workforce” housing, were other issues of interest that might come forward in the next state legislature, about which BSED would be supportive.

The Birth of a New Montana

18 November 2020
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Evelyn Pyburn

“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” – Thomas Paine

Such is the case for Montana with the Republicans having gained control of the governorship and both legislative houses.  The situation poses a rare opportunity to set Montana on a strong economic foundation.

We know how to do it! And now, with the Party that is supposed to be the Party of sound fiscal policies in full charge — there should be no excuses – no barriers to begin the state’s economy over again.

It’s not as though there are no ideas about what works and what doesn’t. What makes for a good economic environment and for sound government has been studied to death over many decades and in 50 different laboratories, usually with much the same results.

Every year for 14 years, the American Legislative Exchange Council has issued the Rich States Poor States study of the economies of all the states. In great detail it identifies the policies and strategies that work in creating an environment in which business can thrive and governments can function soundly.

Is there any reason we shouldn’t be on top of this?

Of course there is. Not all of the leaders really meant it when they advocated for fiscal restraint and economic freedom. And, there are those who hold other ambitions, so their priority is to get along with the opposition more than solve problems. And, then as one pessimistic friend described, it is in the nature of Republicans to form a circle and just start shooting.

And there’s more. Some observers have explained that to solve problems is not the goal for many politicians of either political party. They are in lock step, while appearing to be on opposite sides, wrangling over familiar issues, in campaign after campaign. Their thinking is why solve problems that are guaranteed to successfully fund raise and garner votes, for the Right and the Left? Why do the hard work and take the slings and arrows that would surely come if they were to really try to solve the problem? Hence we have decades and decades of what seems to be unsolvable problems.

We all know of what I speak. There are all kinds of issues to which over the decades Republicans have given a lot of lip service during campaigns, only to become mysteriously silent once elected.  They are the promises we were commonly told were too difficult to get accomplished, or too complicated for us to understand. They are the changes that couldn’t happen, we were told, because they lacked the political power to get them passed.

It was essentially this non-performance that got Donald Trump elected president.

The most amazing, salient factor about President Trump is that he got it done! He demonstrated with almost the speed of light and with what appeared as astounding ease the nonsense of all the excuses.

From Day One, in the cancelling of a hugely over-priced order for a new presidential airplane, to the building of the wall, to neutralizing the saber-rattling of Iran, North Korea and Russia, to bringing peace to the Middle East, to ending terrorist activity, to unleashing the productivity of the American people, increasing for the first time in decades real income growth, regaining our energy independence, reversing the loss of our manufacturing industry, reinstituting Constitutional law. Almost single handedly he was doing all these things that so many had said were impossible. That’s why there were Republicans who stood opposed to Trump, he unmasked the lie of the duplicity of political compromise and the languor of expediency.

Montana has hundreds of issues big and small that should and could be addressed. Take away the political gamesmanship and the road is clear.

If during the next legislative session the Republicans do not act to strengthen our civil liberties, encourage economic freedom, curb the oppressive regulation of our industry, businesses and entrepreneurs, solve the growing debt of the public employees’ pension fund, unleash educational freedom, eliminate the remnants of business equipment taxes, penalize  the promulgators of frivolous lawsuits, and diminish the power and size of our bureaucracy  — all those things Republicans have always said they wanted to do are now doable.

Of course, part of the reason many of those things don’t happen is because legislators don’t hear from their constituents. So to all those who voted in this red wave: it’s no time to sit back and wait. Every voter needs to be up front -and -center about the issues – with Republicans and Democrats. Be assured there are many very organized and well-funded lobbying groups, who in your absence will be making their case.

Staatspolizei

10 November 2020
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Evelyn Pyburn

It is unspeakable, the assault on Montana’s small business owners that the Governor is perpetrating in what has to be the most disrespectful attack on citizens ever seen in this state.

For going on nine months now, small business owners of every size and industry have been struggling mightily to keep their heads above water, given the extreme restrictions that they have been working under, with claims that their sacrifices and the loss of their businesses are necessary to end the impacts of COVID-19.

Despite wide-spread compliance to the protocols that included months of closures, as well as social distancing, lines on floors, masks, plastic shielding, hand washing stations, constant cleaning, consumers staying home, quarantining  and cancelling of events, the virus has continued to spread. Concluding that the solution must be more of the same, Montana government and Governor Steve Bullock have doubled down and turned on the most vital of our citizens – those who provide the goods and services, jobs and income – and tax revenues —that sustain everyone.

It’s not that our business people don’t have enough pressure on them keeping up with the protocols, responding to divisive snitching, working 24-7, losing money, exhausting their savings and watching their businesses go down the drain – now they have to deal with a specially -designed force of secret police stalking their businesses and lives, who will force them into re-education programs with the threat of criminal charges if they don’t adjust their attitudes. (The enforcers are being called “liaisons,” an attempted slight-of-language that says they fully understand the nature of what they do and want to avoid clearly identifying it.)

As dire as the consequences of the disease, the consequences of governments such as this are far greater. The lack of individual liberty kills just as surely as any lethal virus.

The attack on businesses in Yellowstone County is all the more baseless given that the only rational excuse offered is that they want to reduce pressure on medical facilities that are at capacity, with no consideration given to the fact that more than half of the patients are from outside the county. People are coming to Billings, as they always have for medical care, from throughout dozens and dozens of counties, Wyoming, North Dakota. How is it effective or justifiable to penalize local business people for hospitalizations of people from other areas?

The question deserves an answer.

But more importantly our business people deserve to be treated with more respect. The citizens of the state are autonomous individuals, not vassals of  bureaucrats and political agendas and ambitions.

Manufacturing is a Ticket to Rural Prosperity

10 November 2020
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Dan Nordberg and Loretta Solon Greene

As the White House Proclamation stated earlier this month, “On National Manufacturing Day, we celebrate our dedicated American workers who carry on this legacy, recognizing that manufacturing is a cornerstone of our economic prosperity and national security.” Manufacturing businesses are essential contributors to our economic health and wellbeing, infusing $2.38 trillion annually into the national economy.

Manufacturing is especially important in rural America, where manufacturing plants and businesses can thrive due to generally lower property taxes, more reasonable land prices, and a unique quality of life. During a time when the coronavirus pandemic has created many challenges, rural economies are looking for new industry options, expanded manufacturing, and enhanced exporting avenues.  New policies implemented by President Trump’s Administration combined with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) resources may provide rural America a boost for what it needs to regain revenues and support communities.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, rural communities experienced an economic surge as manufacturing increased, creating new jobs and attracting top talent. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that President Trump signed into law earlier this year further bolstered their ability to export across North America. Throughout the negotiations, SBA had a seat at the table, giving small businesses an amplified voice in crafting the policy that will drive continental trade for decades to come.

With manufacturing infusing new life into rural areas, streamlined export processes and SBA’s program resources, rural small businesses may now more easily act on their exporting goals. SBA has made a concerted effort to increase trade opportunities, ensuring small businesses access to international markets and the vitality of American manufacturing exports.

Created intentionally to assist small business exporters, SBA’s Office of International Trade offers financial assistance to businesses looking to expand trade opportunities. Through a suite of finance programs, including revolving lines of credit and loans that can be used for working capital, fixed assets, and debt refinancing, these programs are geared toward helping businesses increase their profits, reduce market dependence, and stabilize seasonal sales. Small businesses looking to export can apply for these products by contacting a local SBA Export Finance Manager<https://www.sba.gov/article/2017/nov/01/list-useacs-sba-staff>.

The State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) is another way the SBA assists small businesses. Through STEP, small businesses looking to export goods and products can use the grant funds to participate in foreign trade missions, develop and design international marketing campaigns, translate marketing materials into other languages, and more. Since its creation in 2010 as part of the Small Business Jobs Act, STEP has recorded over $3.8 billion in exports and awarded approximately $157 million in grants to fund export opportunities, increasing the footprint of American small businesses in countries worldwide.

Furthermore, the SBA’s Office of International Trade can help any small business that faces barriers in accessing international markets. The office publicizes the small business benefits of U.S. trade agreements and helps protect the rights of small businesses under these agreements. Small business manufacturers and other rural businesses looking for information and assistance on how to connect with more international customers can explore resources from SBA OIT and its partners at sba.gov/tradetools <http://www.sba.gov/tradetools>.

The SBA has worked diligently to direct financial support to manufacturing businesses critical to rural America throughout the COVID-19 pandemic response. Through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), manufacturing businesses received $54 billion, assisting more than 238,000 small businesses and retaining countless jobs. The impact of this aid was clear in September’s jobs report, which reported growth of 66,000 manufacturing jobs. The industry is bouncing back and driving job creation.

With 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside our borders, American products have more potential than ever before when businesses venture into international markets. Now is the time for community leaders to further invest in manufacturing and small businesses to tap into the exporting resources to grow hometown businesses and communities. To talk with someone about your exporting potential or manufacturing idea, visit sba.gov/oit<http://www.sba.gov/oit>, or to find more resources available for small businesses in rural America, visit sba.gov/rural<http://www.sba.gov/rural>.

(Dan Nordberg serves as SBA’s National Director for Rural Affairs and Region 8 Administrator based in Denver. He oversees the agency’s programs and services in Colorado, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.  Loretta Solon Greene is the Associate Administrator for the SBA’s Office of International Trade.)

SD2 Stadium at Metra Park?

10 November 2020
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Evelyn Pyburn

It’s been rumored for some time now that Billings School District 2 officials are interested in exploring the possibility of building a new stadium at Metra Park.

Although mentioned with some frequency at Metra Park Advisory Board meetings and presented as a possibility in the master planning process, Manager Bill Dutcher reported that both his staff and SD2 officials are now digging into the details and exploring the pros and cons of the idea.

SD2 Superintendent Greg Upham assured that SD2 board members are serious about exploring the possibility, adding that “the motivation is to look for a win-win.” He said, “We are not looking for someone to pay our bill.”

During the Metra Park monthly advisory board meeting on Tuesday, one board member, Mike Mayott stated that he believes other options should be explored because he doesn’t think that a stadium belongs at Metra Park. It gives up too much in other opportunities for Metra Park.

Mayott suggested that SD2 take a hard look at the possibility of locating on city-owned land adjacent to Amend Park, a non-profit soccer complex administered by the Amend Park Development Council (APDC), about which Mayott conceded he has a conflict of interest since he serves as manager of Amend Park.

“We should look at that before settling on Metra,” he said.

One advantage he pointed out is that the area is within the South Billings Boulevard Urban Renewal District (SBBURD), which has funds and bonding authority which could possibly remove the need for a stadium project to have to go out for county-wide bond approval.

Also, at the MP meeting was Jim Tevlin, SBBURD Controller, who explained to the board that the tax increment district has $24 million and it is part of their capital improvement plan to develop a recreation center, which could include the “the possibility of a combined football stadium and a gymnasium of sorts.”

Upham said that while he had some brief conversations about that possibility, he has not had an opportunity to explore it with the SD2 board or others. He said that being a public entity they would be open to exploring all possibilities.

MP Advisory Board Chairman Charlie Loveridge said that it is something to be explored in planning for Metra Park, which is still developing proposals as part of the master plan. “Hopefully we can figure out the stadium and the rest will fall into place,” he said, emphasizing that they want to have community discussions. “We want what the community thinks is awesome.”

Metra Park staff has been asked to stake out a possible area for the stadium on the Metra Park grounds to give everyone an idea of what a stadium might look like on the campus. It was noted, however, in discussions with county commissioners last week that where facilities will be located at Metra Park must await the finalization of plans of the Montana Department of Transportation which is in the process of designing a new intersection at 1st Avenue North, Exhibition Drive and Highway 87. The design is expected to provide a gate into Metra Park while closing two other gates. The new intersection is expected to have some overlap with Metra Park.

“We have a lot of things to talk about,” said County Commissioner John Ostlund.

For example: How a stadium will be financed and what will be the structure of the use agreement between Metra Park and SD2. Whatever agreement they have it will undoubtedly be very different than any other that Metra Park has with other users.

Ostlund emphasized that however it is built it will remain in county ownership.

Ostlund commented that an important financing concern is how it will impact other county taxpayers, most especially those in Lockwood. “Lockwood just built a new facility, and we have heard some concern that they would have to be paying taxes on two facilities.”

County Finance Director Kevan Bryan pointed out that the school district and Metra Park might encounter conflicts with having two mill levies on the ballot at the same time. Coordinating that would be an important part of the planning.

“Are you talking about the school district building it?” questioned Commissioner Don Jones, to which the answer seemed to be “maybe” – that’s among the things that have to be ironed out.

SD2 Athletic Director (AD) Mark Wall said, “We want this to work for everybody.” He reminded how well it worked out for all schools in the South Central area when track and field events were held at Metra Park.  “We believe that a stadium and a track can bring all kinds of benefits to our community….There are all kinds of ways to use the field.”

Wall said he has had discussions with South Central Montana AD’s and “with the exception of Lockwood everyone is well behind this.” He noted that Huntley Project and Shepherd could also use the facility, and expressed confidence something would be workable to accommodate Lockwood’s situation.

Wall suggested that the school district “would be responsible for track repair. It would be our obligation …  we would have to do that any way no matter where it is located.”

One of the biggest benefits of having the stadium at Metra Park would be the availability of parking.

Other issues that must be ironed out are events with conflicting schedules. Metra Park does not want to lose any of its long-standing users or events. A high school’s sport schedule is very busy and intense.

The school would probably be responsible for managing the scheduling of events.

Ostlund emphasized that Metra Park would also be just as adamant as ever about collecting capital improvement fees (CIP) fees as a part of ticket sales or compensated for in some manner. “We charge those for capital repair,” he said, “We have come a long ways and I don’t want to slide back,” referring to Metra Park’s ongoing maintenance program.

Wall explained that the CIP conflict that Metra Park has had in the past has been with the Montana High School Association and their events. It would not be an issue with SD2 and their ticket sales. Capital improvement costs has always been important to the SD2, too, he said and the manner in which SD2 has dealt with MHSA could be applied at Metra Park.

“Our activities are mostly funded by ticket fees and activity fees,” explained Wall. Each school makes about $40,000 a year they use for equipment, etc. 

Jones urged SD2 officials to talk to other school districts in the county to “get their buy in.” He said, “I want to make sure we aren’t undercutting ourselves within the community and we could all work together.”

Charlie Loveridge spoke to other issues that must also be discussed and agreements reached upon such as sharing sponsorships, maintenance fees, ticket sales, concession sales. About concession sales, Loveridge pointed out that having the regular attendance that the stadium would bring, could result in a great opportunity to greatly enhance concessions in a way that “would make it amazing,” generating more revenue and more ticket sales for events.

A “myriad” of issues involving unions and contracts and other legal issues must also be dealt with, reminded Ostlund.