By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
With an eye open to future projects, the proposed 2012-13 budget for the Waterford Waterway Management District anticipates a higher special user charge due to increased budget costs, but also increased grant funding to offset some of those expenses.
The district’s annual meeting will be held Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Waterford Town Hall, 415 N. Milwaukee St.
The 2012-13 budget is proposed at $427,399.
District members are being asked to pay a $175 charge per riparian owner, up $50, or 33 percent, from what was paid in 2011-12.
“The increase in the special charge is mainly due to the anticipation of the possibility of increased expenses,” explained district president Colleen “Kelly” Cornelius, via email.
An example is aquatic plant harvest testinging conducted this year in designated areas determined by the state Department of Natural Resources, she explained.
The Sept. 15 annual meeting is being held during the time when the testing results are being assessed by a district committee and the DNR, she said.
If these test results confirm that both chemical and mechanical treatments are appropriate, that will result in incrased costs for future treatments.
“Although providing a combination of both chemical and mechanical treatments is pending (and may not actually be as expensive as anticipated) the WWMD board plans as though the services would be provided,” Cornelius said.
Another example is planning for the district’s Eco-System Restoration Project, where unanticipated expenses due to contingency plans are allocated in the 2012-13 budget, but may not be used.
WWMD board as well as committee members are encouraged to seek out outside funding, such as state grants, Cornelius said.
Registration with a picture ID begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday for any district member who intends to vote. The annual meeting will begin at 9 a.m.
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