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FL’s weed harvesting program will return |
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Wednesday, 26 March 2008 |
Jennifer Larson
Staff Writer
Funding for the weed harvester program had been eliminated from the 2008 fiscal year budget when the Forest Lake City Council adopted it in December.
As it turns out, there will be funds for treatment and weed control of Forest Lake. The council voted 3-2 to reinstate funding totaling $20,000 during its regular meeting at city hall on Monday.
Council members Judy Bull and Susan Young were the two opposing votes.
According to City Administrator Chip Robinson, the council had cut over $380,000 from this year’s operating budget. Eliminating funds for the weed harvester program amounted to a cost savings of $66,000 in 2008.
He noted that the council formed a committee to evaluate the suspended program in January.
Blake Roberts, president of the Forest Lake Lake Association, said he had concerns that the $10,000 proposed by Robinson to the committee would not be enough to treat and control weeds.
He said the number of hours funded would go from 800 in the past to just 80 this year. A few months back, Roberts had said during a council meeting that harvesting 90 acres of weeds could be done for a third of the cost.
Adamantly, he was against eliminating all funding for the program in 2008.
“I’m not interested in writing this thing a blank check,” said Young. “We made some really tough decisions when we passed this budget.”
She said the strength of the Forest Lake Police Department is down, and feels that public safety is a higher priority than the weed harvester program.
Another point of contention for Young is that no other lakes within the city are receiving taxpayers dollars for weed control.
Bull said her concerns with the program are the public’s expectations and educating the city’s residents.
Robinson said the mechanical harvesting program would be limited to identified areas around Forest Lake like the channels. In addition, he said they would use herbicide to treat a few beds this spring and monitor those through the season to determine its effectiveness.
“The big impact (to the budget) is going to be those additional hours,” Robinson said, noting the city would use its own laborers.
Councilman Greg Ochs questioned if $10,000 would be adequate to control and treat weeds as well as the educational component.
Councilman Bo Bogotty said they should at least fund $20,000 towards the program, if not more.
“Where are we going to get the money,” Young asked, pressing the council as to what the city would not do instead.
Young also has concerns that the city will not meet revenue projects from both property taxes and fees collected. Dipping into reserves to fund the program could come at a cost in the future, she added.
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