HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-20-25 IWRP PAC Agenda and Packet MaterialsA. Call to Order - 6:00 p.m., Fire Station 3 Conference Room, 1705 Vaquero Way
B. Approval of Minutes
C. Public Comments
D. Unfinished Business
E. New Business
E.1 Welcome and Water Advisory Committee Overview (Ahlstrom)
E.2 Water Advisory Committee Charter(Ahlstrom)
E.3 IWRP Update Context Setting(Ahlstrom)
E.4 Basis of Planning Preview (Ahlstrom)
F. General Discussion
G. Adjournment
G.1 Closing and Next Steps(Ahlstrom)
THE INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE PLANNING COMMITTEE OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA
PAC AGENDA
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
General Information
If you are interested in commenting in writing on items on the agenda please send an email to
comments@bozeman.not or by visiting the Public Comment Page prior to 12:00pm on the day prior to
the meeting.
Recordings of the meeting will be available after the fact through the Meeting Videos page.
For more information please contact Shawn Kohtz, skohtz@bozeman.net
This meeting will be held in-person only.
This is the time to comment on any non-agenda matter falling within the scope of the Integrated
Water Resources Planning Committee. There will also be time in conjunction with each agenda
item for public comment relating to that item but you may only speak once per topic. Please note,
the Committee cannot take action on any item which does not appear on the agenda. All persons
addressing the Committee shall speak in a civil and courteous manner and members of the
audience shall be respectful of others. Please state your name and place of residence in an audible
tone of voice for the record and limit your comments to three minutes. General public comments
to the Committee can be found on their Laserfiche repository page.
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This committee generally meets the third Wednesday of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
All meetings are open to all members of the public. If you have a disability that requires assistance,
please contact our ADA Coordinator at 406.582.3232.
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Memorandum
REPORT TO:Integrated Water Resource Planning Committee
FROM:None
SUBJECT:Welcome and Water Advisory Committee Overview
MEETING DATE:August 20, 2025
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Administration
RECOMMENDATION:None
STRATEGIC PLAN:6.1 Clean Water Supplies: Ensure adequate supplies of clean water for today
and tomorrow.
BACKGROUND:The project team will kick off the meeting, beginning with PAC member
introductions, goals of the Water Advisory Committee, and providing an
overview of public meeting requirements.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None
ALTERNATIVES:None
FISCAL EFFECTS:None
Report compiled on: August 15, 2025
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Memorandum
REPORT TO:Integrated Water Resource Planning Committee
FROM:None
SUBJECT:Water Advisory Committee Charter
MEETING DATE:August 20, 2025
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Administration
RECOMMENDATION:I move to approve the Water Advisory Committee Charter as submitted.
STRATEGIC PLAN:6.1 Clean Water Supplies: Ensure adequate supplies of clean water for today
and tomorrow.
BACKGROUND:The PAC will review and adopt the Water Advisory Committee Charter.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None
ALTERNATIVES:None
FISCAL EFFECTS:None
Attachments:
WAC Charter_7_10_25.pdf
Report compiled on: August 15, 2025
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City of Bozeman – Water Advisory Committee (WAC) Charter
2025/2026 IWRP Update
The City of Bozeman understands that decisions about our water future are wisest when
shaped by the people who live here. To support this philosophy, the City will establish a
temporary volunteer Water Advisory Committee (WAC) made up of community members
who represent the broad range of water users and stakeholders in the region. The WAC
will work collaboratively throughout the IWRP update process, bringing forward local
perspectives, values, and feedback to inform the City’s water planning efforts.
Water Advisory Committee Purpose and Relationship to the City Commission
The purpose of the Water Advisory Committee (WAC) is to bring together a diverse set
of perspectives that reflect the community to help shape the future of the City’s water
resources. The WAC is advisory to the Bozeman City Commission, providing insight and
recommendations that support an updated Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP)
grounded in community values and technical expertise.
The WAC is a temporary advisory body. Its role is to review, discuss, and recommend
strategies and alternatives for water resource management based on the goals of the
IWRP process and this charter. The Bozeman City Commission remains the final
decision-making authority.
The WAC is structured to ensure both technical accuracy and broad public input through
two subcommittees:
• The Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TAC) will provide expertise on water
supply, environmental stewardship, engineering, agriculture, and resource
management.
• The Public Advisory Subcommittee (PAC) will represent community interests,
neighborhood perspectives, business and development considerations, housing
interests, and public engagement priorities.
The WAC has three core responsibilities:
• Bring forward perspectives that reflect the views and values of their respective
stakeholder groups
• Provide input on IWRP alternatives, including policy and infrastructure options
and their potential community impacts
• Develop a formal recommendation to the Bozeman City Commission regarding
the updated Integrated Water Resources Plan
The WAC is charged with advancing a plan that reflects both technical feasibility and
community priorities.
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Composition and Size of the WAC
The Water Advisory Committee (WAC) will include 12–15 members to ensure a balance
of perspectives while maintaining a structure that supports collaborative and productive
discussion.
Membership in the WAC is composed entirely of members from the Technical Advisory
Subcommittee (TAC) and the Public Advisory Subcommittee (PAC). All WAC members
will serve on either the TAC or PAC. This structure ensures that technical expertise and
broad community perspectives unite within a single advisory body to support the IWRP
development process.
Purpose and Scope
Mission Statement:
To guide the development of Bozeman’s updated Integrated Water Resources Plan by
providing insight, recommendations, and community perspective—supporting a
sustainable water future for our community and by our community.
Roles and Responsibilities
Member Responsibilities:
• Attend and actively participate in scheduled meetings
• Review agenda materials and background documents in advance
• Respect meeting times and the overall timeline of the IWRP process
• Contribute thoughtful, constructive input on proposals and materials
• Represent stakeholder perspectives while engaging in solution-oriented dialogue
• Assist with public outreach as needed, including occasional attendance at
community open houses and similar events
• Support consensus-based decision-making, as outlined in this charter
• Remain accessible to the project team between meetings for follow-up or
clarification
• Participate as an individual—substitutes or proxies will not be permitted
• Maintain focus on the WAC’s mission and scope; help minimize distractions or
scope creep
• Encourage inclusive, respectful dialogue that values all perspectives
• Review and validate meeting summaries to ensure an accurate reflection of
discussions and agreements
Schedule
Starting in June 2025 and expected to be completed by late 2026, the Project
Management Team (City staff and consultants) envisions hosting monthly TAC meetings
on Wednesdays during the business day. At later stages in the project, the time between
meetings may extend to six weeks.
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PAC meetings will be hosted monthly on Wednesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. and may
begin several months after TAC has begun meeting.
Operations and Decision-making
Meeting Format:
• Formal in-person TAC and PAC meetings (hybrid if necessary), with published
agendas and supporting materials
• The WAC will meet virtually on a quarterly basis, with the meeting serving as the
month’s TAC and PAC meeting
Decision-making:
The WAC will strive to make decisions by consensus. Consensus does not require
unanimous agreement, but all members must be willing to support the group’s
recommendations. When consensus cannot be achieved, a minority report summarizing
the range of perspectives may be included in the final recommendation to the City
Commission. Those with dissenting opinions will have sole responsibility for developing
the minority report with final review by the WAC.
Communication and Accountability
Transparency Measures:
• Meetings will be open to the public
• Agendas and minutes will be publicly posted
Reporting:
• WAC will provide a final recommendation to Bozeman City Commission at the
end of the process
Conflict Resolution:
• Facilitator will guide discussions and mediate disputes
• Sustained disagreements will be resolved by vote
Group Focus Maintenance:
• Mission and goals will be reviewed at the start of each meeting
Evaluation and Success Metrics
Success Measures:
• Completion of IWRP recommendation on schedule
• Member satisfaction and retention
• Evidence of committee input reflected in the plan
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Resources and Support
Resources Provided:
• Meeting space and technology support
• Boxed meals and other refreshments
• Staff and consultant assistance with documentation and coordination
Role of the Facilitator
The WAC will work with a neutral facilitator throughout the IWRP engagement process.
The facilitator will coordinate meeting agendas, ensure balanced participation, mediate
conflict, and guide the group toward actionable outcomes. Meeting summaries will be
prepared and shared following each session, with the WAC reviewing summaries for
accuracy and inclusion in the final report.
Public Participation and Transparency
WAC meetings will be open to the public and must follow Montana State Statute right to
know and right to participate requirements. This includes providing an opportunity for
public comment and approving minutes at each meeting. A link to the virtual recording of
the meeting will be published online after the fact.
A quorum of committee members (more than 50% of the committee) are not permitted to
discuss items under the WAC’s purview outside of WAC meetings.
Meeting agendas and dates will be published on the City of Bozeman City Boards
calendar to ensure transparency.
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Memorandum
REPORT TO:Integrated Water Resource Planning Committee
FROM:None
SUBJECT:IWRP Update Context Setting
MEETING DATE:August 20, 2025
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Administration
RECOMMENDATION:None
STRATEGIC PLAN:6.1 Clean Water Supplies: Ensure adequate supplies of clean water for today
and tomorrow.
BACKGROUND:The project team will provide context to support the IWRP update, including
providing an overview of Bozeman's IWRP history and achievements.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None
ALTERNATIVES:None
FISCAL EFFECTS:None
Report compiled on: August 15, 2025
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Memorandum
REPORT TO:Integrated Water Resource Planning Committee
FROM:None
SUBJECT:Basis of Planning Preview
MEETING DATE:August 20, 2025
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Policy Discussion
RECOMMENDATION:None
STRATEGIC PLAN:6.1 Clean Water Supplies: Ensure adequate supplies of clean water for today
and tomorrow.
BACKGROUND:Basis of planning considerations are important to lay the groundwork for
any plan update. The PAC will receive information regarding basis of
planning considerations for the 2013 IWRP update: growth rate projections,
future climate change impacts, and how much to rely on water conservation
as part of a future water supply portfolio.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None
ALTERNATIVES:None
FISCAL EFFECTS:None
Report compiled on: August 15, 2025
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Memorandum
REPORT TO:Integrated Water Resource Planning Committee
FROM:None
SUBJECT:Closing and Next Steps
MEETING DATE:August 20, 2025
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Administration
RECOMMENDATION:None
STRATEGIC PLAN:6.1 Clean Water Supplies: Ensure adequate supplies of clean water for today
and tomorrow.
BACKGROUND:The meeting will end by sharing next steps and considerations for the
September 17 meeting.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None
ALTERNATIVES:None
FISCAL EFFECTS:None
Report compiled on: August 15, 2025
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