The Big Sky Water and Sewer District unveiled a tiered rate structure at Tuesday’s meeting in the community center’s east room. The proposal charges higher per-gallon rates above a baseline threshold meant to encourage conservation. District manager Rick Henshaw presented slides showing projected revenue neutrality.

Residents from Meadow Village sat on the left side of the room. Residents from Mountain Village sat on the right. The aisle between them stayed empty except for a district intern refilling water pitchers.

“My irrigation system runs on a smart controller,” said Dale Pruitt, a Mountain Village homeowner since 1998. “I use exactly what the turf needs. This penalizes efficiency.” His July bill would drop eighteen dollars under the new structure.

“My well went dry in twenty-two,” said Marnie Koval, who manages a Meadow Village fourplex. “I trucked water for six weeks. Conservation isn’t a choice.” Her July bill would increase forty-two dollars.

The baseline threshold uses winter quarter averaging. Mountain Village homes average three thousand gallons monthly indoors. Meadow Village units average nine thousand. Outdoor use in summer diverges further.

Henshaw noted the district’s infrastructure serves both villages from the same tanks and pipes. The pumps don’t know which village they’re pressurizing. The aquifer doesn’t either.

Public comment ran ninety minutes. No one mentioned the Yellowstone Club’s separate water system. No one mentioned the club’s irrigation allotment. Everyone calculated their own bill on phones beneath the table.

The board tabled the vote until October. Henshaw will run scenario models. Pruitt will adjust his controller. Koval will check her tenants’ toilets for leaks. The aquifer keeps rising and falling beneath them both.