Letter to the Editor: The Water Adequacy Ballot Initiative

Many moons ago, I got a degree in Environmental Science and Management (at a different land-grant university), concerned about our extractive economy that puts profits over people and the planet. Since moving to Bozeman, however, the exorbitant cost of housing here has pulled my attention toward learning about housing policy to try to understand how we got into this affordability crisis and how do we get out of it.

The Montana State Legislature has made it difficult for local governments to address housing concerns, prohibiting things that are common in other states including rent control, inclusionary zoning, and a luxury homes tax. In fact, local governments are prohibited from exercising ANY power that applies to or affect landlords.

Because of this, the City of Bozeman has resorted to trying to trade incentives for affordable housing, incentives such as height bonuses to buildings or reduced parking requirements. I think most on campus would agree that growth without sufficient parking, in a town that doesn’t have a robust public transportation system, comes with challenges.

Perhaps folks on campus have also heard that our water supply is finite, and our demand on water could exceed supply within 20 years. Typically, when a community’s water usage increases, water rights can be purchased from nearby water sources. The City of Bozeman currently has water rights in Bozeman, Hyalite, and Lyman creeks. However, Bozeman is in a closed basin, meaning all water rights in the Gallatin Valley have been appropriated; hence, the City cannot readily purchase more water. Bozeman has seen rapid growth recently (Bozeman’s population increased from 39,800 in 2013 to 57,300 in 2023), but much of the new market-rate and luxury developments remain unaffordable to working people and students working sometimes multiple jobs to pay their way through school.

This is why I joined a group of residents – the Water Adequacy for Residential Development working group – to submit a ballot initiative that would require new developments in Bozeman that want to use our finite water supply to include affordable housing. Right now, most new developments pay the City cash-in-lieu of water rights (meaning they pay the City a one-time fee to use the City’s water supply instead of bringing additional water rights to the table to support the new development) and can build whatever they want. If the Water Adequacy ballot initiative were to make it onto the November ballot and pass, developers would be allowed to continue to pay cash-in-lieu of water rights ONLY IF that development includes 33% or more of affordable dwelling units for rent or for sale. This citizen-led ballot initiative aims to help conserve the City of Bozeman’s finite water supply while also helping provide much-needed affordable housing.

We are currently gathering the required signatures to get this initiative on the November ballot. Look for one of volunteers around town in the next 2 months and sign to let Bozeman have a chance to vote on this initiative. We as a community have a responsibility to help conserve the City’s finite water supply and help ensure that residential developments being built include sufficient affordable housing for Bozeman’s workforce and those living on fixed incomes. We believe the Bozeman Water Adequacy municipal ballot initiative will help the City do just that.

About the author: Natsuki Nakamura is a Teamster on campus in Culinary Services, and a member of the Water Adequacy for Residential Development (WARD) working group. WARD is a multi-generational group of Bozeman residents who are cooks, bakers, biologists, beekeepers, teachers, students, and others who care deeply about Bozeman and work to ensure it is an environmentally sustainable and affordable place to “live where you work.” For more information and a copy of the Initiative, go to https://www.wardbzn.com.