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Billings

Council Weighs Future of Ramada Park

Billings City Council considered disposing of city-owned Ramada Park, an undeveloped tract between Morledge Street and Ramada Drive.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in City Hall

Wide view of a dry, unimproved grassy lot with a weathered wooden post fence, low residential rooftops and pale bluffs in the distance under an open sky.
Billings City Council heard resident input Monday on whether to dispose of Ramada Park, an undeveloped city-owned tract between Morledge Street and Ramada Drive. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Billings City Council heard from residents on Monday about the future of Ramada Park, a city-owned, unimproved tract stretching between Morledge Street and Ramada Drive. The core question is whether the city-owned property should be disposed of.

Why it matters

Councilman Scott Aspenlieder said the park has potential to generate city revenue that cannot be realized as it stands. Undeveloped parks like Ramada have remained that way because there is no mechanism to fund their construction.

The council is weighing a boundary line change that would move park limits to the ditch running through it, and work toward a special improvement district is expected to take about six months. It is not yet clear whether the district will be approved or how the boundary adjustment will be finalized.

The players

Billings City Council

The elected governing body of Billings, Montana, responsible for decisions on city-owned property such as Ramada Park.

Scott Aspenlieder

A Billings city councilman who said Ramada Park has potential for city revenue that cannot currently be used.

The details

Thomas Smith, who lives next to the park, hopes to purchase his portion of the property and proposed using lot-purchase money for park maintenance and sprinklers. The proposed boundary change would enlarge his and his neighbor's lots but raise their property tax rates.

Timeline

  1. Monday: Residents attended the Billings City Council meeting at City Hall about the park's future.

  2. Over the next six months: Work toward creating a special improvement district is expected to proceed.

Political Context

Ramada Park has remained undeveloped because Billings has lacked a mechanism to fund construction of such parks. The proposed special improvement district would be a new funding tool aimed at breaking that long-standing pattern.

Residents along Ramada Park could see property tax rates rise if the boundary line change is adopted, since adjacent lots would be enlarged. Any future park improvements would depend on whether the special improvement district is created and funded.

The takeaway

Decisions about undeveloped city land often hinge on whether a funding mechanism exists, so the outcome for Ramada Park may signal how Billings approaches similar tracts.

What happens next

The special improvement district work is expected to take about six months, after which the council is expected to weigh its creation.

Further reading

Follow more local decisions on the City Hall section for context on how Billings handles city-owned property.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Q2 News (KTVQ).

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Should your city keep neighborhood parks like this one as public green space?