Bozeman staff warn water-adequacy ballot measure could reduce housing supply and raise costs

City officials and technical staff told the Bozeman City Commission on April 22 that a citizen-drafted water adequacy and affordable housing initiative circulating for signature could have the opposite effect of its stated goals: reducing housing production, raising prices, and encouraging development outside Bozeman where water and sewage use are often less efficient.

City Manager (name not specified) opened a staff presentation noting the initiative links two complex topics — water supply and housing affordability — and said the city had invited the initiative authors to present but they declined. Greg Sullivan, the city attorney, and senior staff then outlined legal, technical and operational concerns.

Sullivan said the city attorney’s office reviewed the initiative for the narrow, ministerial requirements tied to citizen petitions (single‑subject and ballot statement drafting) and forwarded it to the elections administrator, but did not complete a deeper legal analysis of how the measure would interact with the Unified Development Code or state law. He flagged technical terms in the initiative — including references to “deed restrictions” and a 99‑year restriction period — that may not translate cleanly into Montana land‑use practice and could require additional municipal legislation or administrative rules if the measure passes.

Utilities Director Sean Coats told the commission Bozeman currently holds about 16,500…