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Landowners in the Four Corners water and sewer district will see a massive jump in their property taxes.

"We were given one alternative with seven days notice," said Montana Craftsman Woodworks Business Manager Sean Becker. "And that one assessment is a deal breaker for a lot of us out there."

The Gallatin County courthouse community room was filled Tuesday morning with landowners angry about a jump in their property taxes.

"It's come to our understanding that at $675 per lot we're going to pay $9,500 for less than an acre," Becker said. "When we get just a handful of flushes per day out of our toilets where the gas stations on the corners of four corners on single lots will just pay $675 where they would get thousands of flushes a day, it's just not appropriate."

Landowners in the Four Corners water and sewer district owe around $1.69 million to Utility Solutions, the company that provides water and sewer services to the Four Corners area. The debt has been adding up for the past three years and to pay back the money, all landowners in the district will have to pay $675 per tax parcel per year for the next four years.

"That large of an assessment is a huge percentage increase on undeveloped land," said Gallatin Heights owner Mike Stewart. "It's a huge increase on finished lots, and less of an increase on finished homes, but it's still a significant increase on taxes relative to this point in time."

While some were against the property tax levy, others thought it was fair.

"Zoot owns 14 commercial lots and 26 condo lots in the district and I just want to let you know Zoot supports the flat tax per lot," said Zoot attorney Lisa Gregory.

"I believe the tax is going to have to be assessed to pay Ms. Campbell righfully," said Tony Colnick who owns property in the district. "There's a contract that's is signed by the parties and people in the district had time to become part of the board."

Although commissioners did pass the property tax levy, they said they would like to discuss alternative ways to assess it for next year.

"I think we need to adopt it at least from a budget point of view," said Gallatin County Commissioner Bill Murdock. "And the debt is the debt, but I'd be willing to work with this in the next 6 months and the next year, I think the county should help get Four Corners out of this predicament."

Commissioners say they will try to come up with alternatives before September 15 of this year. Commissioners did not have discretion to rule out the property tax levy completely.