Heights resident urges support for second water connection; councilors agree to personal letters, not city endorsement

Pam Ellis, a Heights resident and member of the Heights Water Board, told the Billings City Council the Heights Water District’s proposed “second connection” is a near‑term, shovel‑ready project that would fix 20 years of low water pressure affecting roughly 15,000 residents (about 6,000 hookups).

"Right now all of the water that comes to the 15,000 residents or about 6,000 hookups comes through one meter," Ellis said during the public‑comment period, and she described the design as nearly complete and the project as ready to apply for federal funding. She said construction estimates are "about a million dollars" and that the district can complete a congressional direct‑allocation application through "Senator Shehi's office." Ellis asked council members who represent the Heights to provide letters of support so the district can finalize the application.

Council members asked whether the district would shoulder a local match and about alternatives such as consolidation. Ellis said the district has reserves and would cover local costs in part but is also managing larger projects, including cast‑iron pipe replacement and other system upgrades. She emphasized the project’s fire‑safety benefits: "It's critical for fire protection," she said.

Several councilors voiced concern that a citywide letter on official letterhead would imply the City of Billings was prioritizing the Heights project over the city’s own infrastructure grant requests. "I absolutely would not support the full council writing a letter of support ... because it's competing with our own interests," one councilor said during the discussion.

City legal/administrative staff advised that using city letterhead would indeed convey an official city position and could be interpreted as a council or majority endorsement. In response the council reached a practical compromise: individual council members who represent the Heights may sign personal letters of support using their title and personal stationary, while the council will avoid issuing a formal city letter endorsing the district’s application.

Next steps: Heights Water District staff can complete the pending federal application and solicit support letters from the area’s council representatives; the council did not authorize an official city endorsement or use of city letterhead for the request.

The council moved on to its next agenda item, a staff briefing on the Montana Land Use Planning Act and the Billings 2045 update.