Livingston commission accepts preliminary engineering report for regional water project

The Livingston City Commission on Sept. 16 accepted a preliminary engineering report (PER) for a regional water project serving the Montague and Greenacres subdivisions and nearby properties, a step staff said is necessary to pursue outside funding and eventual construction.

City Manager Shannon Gager told commissioners the PER “will be used to help obtain additional funding for the construction project outside of city revenue sources, including very likely a special improvement district in the area.” The report maps proposed new mains, valves and hydrants to reduce dead-end piping, raise pressure and improve redundancy in older parts of the system.

Consulting engineer Nicole Rudisky of T and H Engineering presented the plan to replace undersized or aging mains, upsizing much of the system to 8-inch pipe, adding valving to shrink the area affected by any single break and extending service to some parcels that currently lack mains. The PER describes project phasing, modeled pressure results and a construction cost estimate of roughly $6.5 million for the full loop and related work.

Gager and Rudisky told the commission the PER is the first formal step required by state law after annexation, and that the city will use the document to apply for multiple grants and loans. Rudisky described likely funding sources including Montana Coal Endowment grant rounds, state revolving loan funds, CDBG and other programs; she also said some programs require an income survey or have long legislative funding timelines.

Commissioners emphasized minimizing cost to existing residents. Gager and staff pledged not to solicit construction bids or form a special improvement district until grant funding and financing options make assessments affordable for neighborhood property owners.

Public commenters who live in the affected neighborhoods raised questions about mandatory hookup to city water, per-lot assessment methodologies and the timing of construction. Residents asked whether homeowners with functioning wells could be allowed to continue using them for domestic drinking water; staff said the policy of the city historically has been to require municipal water for drinking water and that any change would be a policy question for the commission.

The commission voted unanimously to accept the PER and direct staff to continue funding pursuit and public outreach. Commissioners and staff said the next steps are further engineering, grant applications and a detailed conversation with the affected neighborhood about whether to create a special improvement district and how to structure assessments.