Politics
Billings Road Repair Referendum Sets July 2027 Sales Tax Start for Local Shoppers
Voters will decide the measure on November 3, 2026, with the half-cent increase appearing on receipts at stores citywide from the following summer if approved.
How we reported this
The city of Billings placed a street maintenance funding measure on the November 3, 2026 ballot that would add a half-cent sales tax dedicated to road repairs across the city limits.
Yellowstone County election records show the measure reached the ballot after the city council approved placement in June 2026, following a 2025 public works assessment that identified 260 miles of streets needing immediate attention out of the 820 miles maintained by the city.
When the Tax and Projects Would Reach Billings Residents
Collections would begin July 1, 2027, so residents buying groceries at stores on Grand Avenue or fuel along 27th Street would see the added amount on receipts that month, with the city projecting $6.5 million in first-year revenue directed to repaving contracts.
City documents state the first projects would target pothole crews on 24th Street West and segments of King Avenue East during the 2027-2028 winter season, followed by full reconstruction on two miles of high-traffic routes in 2028.
Further Steps in the Referendum Process
Ballot language will be available for public review at the Yellowstone County election office beginning August 15, 2026, and the government says the policy will require businesses to update point-of-sale systems by April 2027 to collect the tax.
Policy analysts say the dedicated fund would cover 18 percent of the annual street maintenance budget listed in the fiscal year 2027 city budget document, leaving the remainder from existing general fund allocations.
Residents outside the city limits but within the county would not pay the tax, while those inside city boundaries would see no change to property tax bills under the current measure text.