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| Nemaha NRD August
2007 Board Meeting Report Tecumseh – Nemaha NRD board members reviewed the budget for Fiscal Year 2007-08 at their meeting Thursday, August 9. The budget presented, which included the same property tax figures as last year, still showed a deficit. Therefore, the board was faced with cutting some items from the budget in order to bring it into balance. A good share of the budget expenditures centers around projects in the Iron Horse Watershed in Pawnee County, Duck & Buck Creek projects near Peru, and Muddy Creek project in Nemaha County. In addition water programs and recreation components also contribute to the bottom line totals. Final valuations are expected later this month, and directors decided to maintain the same property tax levy of 4.05 cents, which will allow inclusion of a $100,000 sinking fund for Duck and Buck Creek. These flood control projects near Peru are expected to begin in the next couple of years and require local funds to supplement other sources of funding. Even without the final figures, this budget gave the board a good picture of what the budget will look like next month, when a hearing will be held just prior to the board’s September 13 meeting. In additional action, the board did approve increasing the restricted funds allowance an additional one percent for this budget. This action, however, does not mean the District will be collecting additional property taxes but instead provides the authority to do so and allows anything not used to be banked for future years. At the recommendation of the board’s Water Resources Ad-Hoc Committee, a resolution was approved for application to the Nebraska Environmental Trust for a grant. Funding will be requested to help purchase flow meters for use on high capacity wells. The program, if approved for grant funding, would set up a 50/50 cost-share program with participating landowners. Grant applications are due to the Trust in September with preliminary approvals announced in February. The board reviewed two separate requests for variances to allow installation of wells. A request which would drill a well south of St. Mary for the purpose of flooding an 80-acre area for duck hunting habitat was denied by the board. However, a variance was approved for an irrigation well 1.5 miles north of Firth. No action was taken yet on a proposed policy for selecting firms to provide professional services, such as engineering and consulting. Some revisions were suggested, and this policy will be reviewed again next month. In a bookkeeping move, the board voted to classify the outstanding bill owed by Randy Frey for seeding and fencing of a dam structure as an uncollectible account. This would essentially remove it from the District’s cash assets classification but still allow the District to pursue collection of the bill. The next regular meeting of the Nemaha Natural Resources District board of directors will be on Thursday, September 13, 2007, beginning at 8:00 p.m. at the NRD headquarters, 62161 Highway 136, Tecumseh. A public hearing on the District’s final budget for Fiscal Year 2007-08 will be held prior to the regular meeting. |