Livingston accepts regional water preliminary engineering report for northeast subdivisions

The Livingston City Commission on a 4-0 vote accepted a preliminary engineering report (PER) for a regional water project designed to serve the Montague and Greenacres subdivisions and Sleep­ing Giant Estates, city staff said. The PER describes upsizing and looping of distribution mains, added valving and hydrants, and connections intended to improve pressure, water quality and system redundancy.

The plan presented by consultant Nicole Rudisky of T and H Engineering identifies aging 6-inch mains and multiple dead-end sections in Greenacres and Montague and recommends replacing those mains with 8-inch looping mains, adding valves so smaller areas can be isolated for repairs, and extending a main to serve Tana Lane. The report estimates construction costs of roughly $6.5 million for the combined project and outlines potential funding sources including the Montana Coal Endowment Program, SRF/RD loans (with possible principal forgiveness), CDBG (if low- and moderate-income thresholds are met), and other grant programs.

City Manager Shannon Gager said the PER satisfies state requirements for annexed areas and will be used to pursue outside grant and loan funding; staff and the consultant emphasized that construction would not start until the city and residents could secure acceptable funding to make assessments affordable. The city noted the potential of a special improvement district (SID) to pay for work within the affected neighborhood and presented example assessment scenarios: with roughly $3 million in grants offsetting construction costs, the average assessment per lot was estimated at about $16,470 amortized over 20 years (staff noted this is an estimate based on current lot sizes and a 20-year financing term).

Residents who live in the affected neighborhoods used the public comment period to raise concerns about mandatory hookup, the financial burden of prior sewer assessments and how the city will manage impacts to private yards and roads. Jane Gardner of the Montague Addition asked the commission to allow households to remain on private wells for household use if they prefer, with periodic testing; several other residents described financial stress from earlier sewer assessments and asked for more time and outreach. Public works staff and the water superintendent said the existing Montague private systems are aged, undersized and at the “end of the line,” with asbestos-cement pipe and limited valving, and said the PER proposes solutions to reduce the risk of widespread outages.

Commissioners emphasized the project is only a first step: the PER acceptance creates a biddable design path and enables staff to pursue funding; any SID formation or property-level assessments would return to the commission for approval. Commissioner Melissa Kale and others pressed staff to continue public engagement, look aggressively for grant funds to reduce homeowner assessments, and consider phasing to reduce immediate burden on residents. The commission voted to accept the PER; staff said the design and grant-seeking process could take several years and that construction likely would not start before 2027 unless significant grant funding is secured.

Ending: The PER acceptance moves the regional water project from planning toward fund-seeking and design. City staff said they will continue grant applications and outreach with neighborhood residents before any SID or construction decisions are advanced.