City Council 2025: David Redmon

Most of my working life has been spent in service to our Nation as an active duty servicemember. After 35 years in uniform, I worked in the banking industry and volunteered in our community. However, I have wanted to give back to Billings in a more meaningful way. Serving all of you as a City Council member would allow me the privilege to accomplish that.

I bring a wealth of experience in strategic leadership and financial discipline. During my tenure on the Board of Directors for the National Security Agency, and as a senior leader at United States Cyber command, I led large organizations and participated in the management of multi-billion-dollar defense budgets on behalf of the American people. I have served on the Board of Directors for the Billings Community Foundation to build capacity for numerous non-profits in Yellowstone Country and am an officer with the Veterans of Foreign Wars in the State of Montana. My formal education is in accounting and information systems, and I have passed the uniformed CPA exam. All these experiences and education will help guide my decision- making as a member of the City Council.

The non-partisan requirement for candidates running for City Council helps set the tone for ensuring that the constituents’ needs are placed at the forefront of making decisions. Creating an environment where the community can express themselves to their elected representatives is important. This starts with building trust through open communication and dialog. Leadership that listens and delivers must be demonstrated through deeds, not words. As a City Council member, I would work to understand what the residents of Ward 1 really think, not just what a small number of loud voices or special interests want.

(1) Strengthen Public Safety – Protection and security is the fundamental responsibility of City Government.

(2) Prioritize Infrastructure Investments and Expand Economic Opportunity – We cannot do everything, so we need to focus on those investments that provide the greatest value to our community and do them well.

(3) Emphasize Transparent Government – Rebuilding the trust between our City Government and the community it serves is paramount to the future of Billings.

We have made significant progress in law enforcement over the last few years. However, there is a lot more to do. Ensuring that we have the required number of officers on patrol needs to be a high priority for the next City Council. We funded additional positions with a recent public safety levy but are still far short of the police officers that we are paying for.

Zone for higher density housing near transit stations, places of employment, higher education facilities, and other appropriate population centers, as determined by the local government – There are places where we can make smart decisions to increase density. We need to do this in areas where the population would expect it to be and not where long-term owners feel the equity in their homes is threatened.

Eliminate aesthetic, material, shape, bulk, size, floor area, and other massing requirements for multi-unit dwellings or mixed-use developments or remove at least half of those requirements – Over regulation and cumbersome processes slow down the development of much need housing in our community. Anything we can do to reduce the regulatory burden and speed up construction will help our builders do what they do best.

When done correctly, zero-based budgeting processes not only provide greater transparency, but also help to ensure that the Government doesn’t spend beyond its means. We should make every effort to use proven methods in order to be responsible stewards of the taxpayers’ resources.

As discussed at recent City Council meetings, the TIF Districts have been successful at improving struggling neighborhoods and promoting public- private partnerships. We need to continue to use these organizations to drive development and investment. We should, however, conduct periodic reviews as a council to ensure that administrative costs are managed appropriately and to validate whether any properties should be returned to the ordinary tax base.

Historic properties are often vital contributors to a vibrant community. As a result, it is important that we ensure the long-term health of these facilities through self-sustainment, to the greatest extent possible. City-owned properties like these need to generate sufficient revenue to cover their own operating and maintenance costs like any other business in our community. Selling these properties to private entities should be considered only as a last option.

I think that the Director of the Billings Airport has done an outstanding job during his tenure and has made a compelling case for the formation of an airport authority. As an airport grows, oversight becomes increasingly more complex and sharing that responsibility with an independent entity has worked effectively at other airports around the nation. However, we need to ensure that the taxpayers understand what this decision means and how property tax changes are managed an assessed going forward.

Much like the discussion on TIF Districts, the TBID promotes positive development in our city. The City Council can provide sufficient oversight through budget approval and periodic reviews.