Snow Plowing Concerns Arise In Billings' Heights Neighborhood

BILLINGS, Mont. – As snow begins to melt, residents in Billings are expressing concerns about the pace of snow removal in certain areas. The Heights neighborhood, in particular, has been at the center of these discussions.

Jennifer Owen, a Billings City Council member for Ward 2, which includes the Heights, explained the situation. She noted that the city’s snow removal schedule has remained unchanged for nearly a decade, with the Heights often being the last area to be cleared.

Owen acknowledged the frustration but emphasized that such significant snowfall is rare. “Residential plowing has only happened about six times in the last five years,” she said.

The plowing of residential and side streets is managed by a private contractor and funded through the city’s street maintenance budget. Owen highlighted the need for a community discussion on budget priorities, stating, “So when people talk about this being a budget issue, it’s not that there isn’t a budget for it, the question is do we want to put the budget to this task versus other street maintenance tasks like filling potholes or improving safe routes to schools, all those other things that are competing for priority.”

Some residents have suggested hiring more staff to speed up snow removal, but Owen does not see this as a viable solution. “I am not particularly interested in increasing city staff or city equipment to be able to do this once or twice a year,” she said. Instead, she proposed exploring public-private collaborations.

Owen also pointed out the challenges posed by Billings’ growth, particularly in areas like the Heights and the West End. “What we are seeing in terms of growth right now is that it’s spreading, the more roads we are building, the further out our city is going, the harder it is to get to those side streets and plow them,” she said. This expansion creates management challenges that are not financially sustainable, she added.

Owen encouraged residents in the Heights and West End to participate in community meetings to discuss how tax dollars should be spent, especially regarding resource management.