Commissioner defends nearly $100,000 cut to Yellowstone Art Museum budget

BILLINGS — Dozens of people gathered at Yellowstone County commissioners' meetings in Billings this week after they proposed cutting nearly $100,000 from the Yellowstone Art Museum's budget over the next few years.

The cuts would begin with a $46,000 reduction in 2025 and further reductions through 2026.

Meeting attendees showed their support for YAM and explained why the museum was important to the community and their lives, including local photographer Larry Bean.

“Being able to see how an institution like YAM inspires people is really, really moving. I mean, I’ve seen it in my children, my grandchildren and my colleagues that I work with, that YAM inspires a creativity that helps us thrive,” Haricot said.

Yellowstone County Commissioner John Ostlund said the cuts were necessary because the county had to spend more on public safety. In addition, inflation has forced the county to adjust its spending, he said.

“They all have a great story to tell. They all bring a lot to the public. We're all happy with each one of them,” Ostlund said of the museums. “It's just a budget issue. We have to deal with the reality of inflation.”

Eight hundred thousand dollars of the county budget goes to four local museums: 30 percent goes to the Western Heritage Center, 25 percent to the YAM, 25 percent to the Yellowstone County Museum, and 12 percent to the Huntley Project Museum, with the remaining percentage going to other projects.

The YAM share will be reduced to 15% in two years. The 10 percent loss will be divided among other museums in Yellowstone County. Two of these museums, the Western Heritage and the Yellowstone County Museum, are county-owned and require a higher level of county support.

“There’s no real obligation for commissioners to fund private museums. That’s something we’ve always done. But as budgets get tighter, we’re going to have to look at all of these discretionary funds and see if they’re needed more in other places,” Ostlund said.

Ostlund also said many costs will have to go toward repairs at those museums, such as a half-million dollar project to improve accessibility at the Yellowstone County Museum.

“We don't have a handicapped accessible restroom or an entrance. We don't have a handicapped accessible elevator to go down. The stairs are steep, so we have a plan to address that, and that plan alone costs a half-million dollars. The dollar estimate will probably be higher,” Ostlund said.

Jessica Ruhle, executive director of YAM, says the museum also helps improve public safety.

“The commissioners were very clear that their main priority was public safety and maintaining historic buildings here in Yellowstone County, so we were really talking about how the museum could be a partner in that.” , Ruhle said.

The lack of money would also hurt the museum's ability to fund important outreach programs.

“Unfortunately, many of our outreach programs are much more flexible in terms of their annual budget. This can take different forms, such as scaling back a particular program, reducing the number of our engagement sessions, or temporarily suspending a project,” Ruhle said. “I hope that’s not the case, but these are difficult realities for us. »

Commissioners did not take a final vote on the budget. Ruhle hopes the community impact and statements will be enough to convince commissioners to fully fund the museum.

“We know how the work we do supports many other efforts and initiatives ranging from public safety to historic preservation and cultural opportunities in Billings, and we are proud of the work we do,” Ruhle said.