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Watershed district budgets need oversight, lawmakers say |
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Friday, 02 May 2008 |
Cliff Buchan
News Editor
Two lawmakers from Forest Lake will introduce legislation on Monday that would require county oversight and approval of budgets proposed by regional watershed district boards.
District 52 State Sen. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, and District 52A Rep. Bob Dettmer, R-Forest Lake, are proposing the bill to give taxpayers an additional layer of protection from property tax increases levied by watershed districts. They announced their plan at Forest Lake City Hall on Friday morning.
The legislation comes as the legislature is considering a local bill that would change the legal classification of the Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District from 103D to 103B. The change would enable the district to pursue ad valorem property taxes to pay for the district’s capital improvement plan.
That bill is authored by District 17 State Sen. Rick Olseen, DFL-Harris.
At Friday’s announcement, the lawmakers said their goal was to give county officials a firm say in the activities of the watershed board and support taxpayers who are facing ever rising property taxes.
Vandeveer said it is the county boards that often get the blame when property taxes go up. The bill, he said, would allow county officials a say in what projects move forward.
“I could see there was no oversight by the counties,” Dettmer said.
Forest Lake Mayor Stev Stegner, who supports the proposal, said watershed districts play “vital roles” in working for clean water but added that the provision would be a way to keep costs under control.
Washington County Commissioners Dennis Hegberg of Forest Lake, and Gary Kriesel of Stillwater, endorsed the Vandeveer-Dettmer plan. Hegberg said the goal of protecting ground water would remain in place but the process would have a new layer of accountability to protect taxpayers.
“It [the proposal] gives more accountability to the whole issue,” Hegberg said.
Is opposition
But all are not in favor of the plan.
Speaking against the plan was Chisago County Commissioner Ben Montzka of Wyoming. His districts includes the Comfort Lake area. He said the Chisago County Board is backing the Olseen plan but has not taken a stand on the added level of county board approval.
Under the plan by the lawmakers, the Chisago and Washington county boards would have a say in the projects and budgets put forward by the watershed district board.
“History has shown that the two county boards have not been able to solve problems,” Montzka said, adding that the Vandeveer-Dettmer plan could result in “deadlock and gridlock.”
Jackie Anderson, Wyoming Township and a member of the Comfort Lake-Forest Lake board, also questioned the plan which would end more than a half century of rules for watershed districts. She maintained there would be a lower level of accountability at the county board level because not all of the five commissioners would have a personal stake in district plans as local commissioners do.
She expressed frustration that the change proposed by the lawmakers could hinder the ability of watershed boards to finally begin to make progress on water quality issues. “We are at the point where we can start getting things done,” Anderson said.
Vandeveer said he had confidence to the two local county boards would work together, provide the needed oversight and move forward with projects.
“These issues are complex,” he said.
Vandeveer said later he does not expect action on his bill in this session, but the matter will come back in 2009. The same fate is also likely for Olseen’s bill, he said.
The bill for the 103B status is part of the Omnibus Tax Bill but will likely be pulled this session because there is lack of agreement in the senate, he said.
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