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Lewistown commission approves five-year railroad lease for livestock loading; trail users flagged potential reroute
Summary
The commission approved a five-year exclusive lease to Lewistown Livestock Inc. for railroad-adjacent property used to load cattle; lessee and commissioners discussed trail termination, a six‑month termination clause, and the potential to reroute trails using private land if necessary.
The Lewistown City Commission voted to approve a five-year exclusive railroad lease with Lewistown Livestock Incorporated that allows the company to use a portion of the city’s railroad-adjacent property for cattle loading.
City Manager Holly explained the lease locks in a price for the first five years with incremental increases beginning in year six; the agreement includes a six-month notice period and automatic-renewal provisions. "What's in front of you is basically a five-year lease, where we locked in the price and then beginning year six would have some incremental increases," Holly said.
Kyle, representing Lewistown Livestock, told commissioners his company uses the parcel to load cattle and that they currently operate several leases on surplus property. He said the railroad-bed section is unimproved and that the company would be open to discussing a route or land-swap to accommodate trail continuity if the trail were extended in the future.
Commissioner Robertson emphasized concerns about preserving the possibility of an improved trail and asked whether the lease could be structured to allow rerouting without negating the lease. Holly and Kyle said the lease contains a six‑month termination window and that the parties could discuss routing or land-use solutions; Kyle suggested he could potentially grant use of adjacent private deed property to reroute the trail if needed.
The commission conducted a roll-call vote and approved the lease. Commissioners stressed the trails program is funded in part by trail rentals and that any changes affecting trail continuity should be coordinated with the trails group; the trails chair was invited to discuss routing at an upcoming meeting.
Why this matters: The lease secures agricultural use of railway-adjacent land and could affect recreation infrastructure; commissioners balanced agricultural/industrial uses with continued trail-planning interest.
Next steps: Staff will continue communication with the trails group, and the lease provides a six-month window that would permit renegotiation or termination if trail improvements require it.
