City Council 2025: Patrick Olp

I am a lifelong Billings resident who loves this city with my whole heart. I plan on staying in Billings both as a parent raising kids and a business owner who wants to continue to grow and thrive. I believe that we have an obligation to one another, and that civic service is truly the highest privilege we can exercise as Americans. As a professional, my greatest strength has always been my ability to bring multiple stakeholders together to find common ground and a beneficial path forward for everyone involved, and I would bring that same energy to my role as a councilor.

I have two ears and one mouth, and I think the best place to start is to listen (at least!) twice as much as I talk. Partisanship is a lazy choice when it comes to evaluating the impacts of the decisions City Council has to make as a policy body, and the only fidelity I have to a particular ideology as it relates to the position of City Council is evaluating issues and their solutions on the basis of what is in the best interests of my constituents, and more broadly, the community.

1) Economic development – As we face budget shortfalls and other financial challenges, it is often said that “Money is the answer, what’s the question”, and if we don’t broaden our tax base, we’re very limited in our ability to raise new revenues. A healthy economy with thriving businesses will help us achieve those ends.

2) Public safety, and specifically, traffic safety – In Ward 5, between 24th and Shiloh both being used a drag strips for reckless entertainment, we need a dedicated traffic officer for our ward, and I am committed to making that happen.

3) Affordable housing – we need thoughtful policies that encourage mixed use spaces that create higher density living spaces that create vibrancy, convenience, and greater public safety that also generate greater revenues for the city for further development.

While it is true that we can’t “arrest our way out of the problem”, we do need to work with the county to find a solution for better holding violent criminals and making sure an arrest isn’t a symbolic gesture. I think that continuing to identify ways to increase access to mental health services, removing roadblocks from our court system, and increasing low-cost/free amenities throughout the city will also have a significant impact on our ability to curb crime numbers. I also think we need to place heavy emphasis on renewed efforts to attract and retain professionals to our community, and specifically for our police. Increasing the availability of overtime for existing officers only works as far as not having a burnt out force, and I think we owe it to our first responders to prioritize recruitment as much as possible.

I think option “b” (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) because we can solve for issues of both public safety and transit by allowing development and redevelopment of spaces that encourage infill, convenience, affordability, and walkability by building more densely populated areas which kills several birds with one stone.

I also am a huge proponent of option “m” (allow multi-unit dwellings or mixed-use development as a permitted use on all lots where office, retail, or commercial are primary permitted uses) as we have seen significant success in Billings for properties like the Shiloh Commons for both apartments and businesses alike, and the outcomes that could be possible downtown for the purposes of infill by using this policy combined with TIF dollars to spur thoughtful growth.

I think this particular maneuver was little more than performative hand waving that adds a significant amount of work to a city staff that is already running lean. I was at the meeting where this was brought up, and in the same meeting, Council was also able to find money for a budget analyst whose entire role would ultimately end up paying for itself by doing the very function zero-based budgeting claims it accomplishes. At this point, it feels redundant, and I don’t think it’s a wise strategy in perpetuity.

I think TIFs are the lifeblood of public/private partnerships, and the city should use TIFs aggressively, especially when budgets are stretched thin. By allowing private investment to receive public subsidy for reimbursement of some of the costs related to re/development of blighted/rundown spaces in our 3 TIFs, we are saying with our dollars that we are betting on our community, our business owners, and a brighter future by collectively coming together and reinvigorating places that need vision and excitement. I’m 100% pro-TIF and think we should continue to actively seek out opportunities for more development with thoughtful businesspeople who feel the same.

I think it’s shortsighted to put these properties on the backburner for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that as we try to attract human capital to the Magic City, if we don’t have vibrant amenities for people to feel excited about, we will not be able to find and keep professionals in our city! I think the Babock is a shining example of what happens when thoughtful leadership and collaboration come together to make our city better. Individuals like Matt Blakeslee are quietly responsible for creating low-cost, high return activities for people to engage in, and beyond entertainment, really add to the culture, landscape, and even public safety in our community. I am committed to prioritizing these spaces not just as conveniences, but as necessities to the lifeblood of our city. 

As a business owner who is more frequently involved in travel, I want the airport to operate in whatever fashion brings us more options for flights in and out and with as many operators as possible. If that is continuing how things are, great. If that’s by creating an airport authority, let’s do that yesterday. Eliminating barriers for people coming to our community should be a top priority of anyone in a leadership capacity in our city’s government, and my answered would be wholly informed by whichever options makes us easier to come and go with.

100%. The work Aly Eggart and her team is doing is invaluable and has an impact on our community not only now, but for future generations as well. A rising tide floats all boats, and the Chamber has been an amazing partner in yelling from the literal rooftops about how incredible our community is.