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Council hears heated concerns about North Central Regional Water contract; members warn of potential legal fights
Summary
Committee members reported that North Central Regional Water seeks a contracted 750,000 gallons-per-day commitment; Cut Bank officials said the city uses roughly 40,000 gpd, cannot afford to pay for unused capacity and that the dispute has prompted a regional-authority resignation and the threat of litigation.
Council and committee members devoted the longest segment of the work session to concerns about the North Central Regional Water authority and a contract that covers bulk water supply. A council member said the authority’s contract terms call for Cut Bank to take or pay for up to 750,000 gallons per day; presenters said Cut Bank’s actual use is much lower and that the city would still be billed even if it did not consume the contracted amount.
Transcript speakers described a heated exchange at the regional board meeting in which the authority president resigned. One official said the city typically uses about 40,000 gallons per day and described past occasions when the regional authority limited actual delivery even though the contract guaranteed higher volumes. “We have a contract, which is 750,000 gallons per day that we now pay for,” a speaker said. Another added, “We're only using about 40,000 a day.”
Speakers raised multiple technical and policy points: whether pump-station capacity and treatment upgrades would be needed for Cut Bank to rely solely on the regional supply; whether the authority can impose higher charges; and how the contract’s take-or-pay language affects small towns. Several speakers urged Cut Bank representatives to attend a full authority meeting in September and to prepare for potential legal dispute if contract terms are enforced in a way that shifts costs to Cut Bank.
Council did not take a final action during the work session; members recommended follow-up with engineers and legal staff and confirmed they would try to ensure all three local authority representatives attend the upcoming authority meeting.
