Lake Herman Sanitary District

We head into our Wednesday budget meeting with a little better picture of the scope of sanitary district powers. Input from counsel and from the state Attorney General's office makes it pretty clear that sanitary district powers are limited to wastewater issues (see attachment below). We lack the authority to act on some of the qater quality issues and project ideas brought up at our last meeting.

Kevin Jaspers did ask last time if we could change the rules to allow the district to act on water quality projects. The only way that can happen is by an act of the Legislature. That's a long shot, but I have broached the idea with our local legislators. Rep. Gerry Lange, a fellow Lake Herman resident, says a bill to authorize sanitary districts to take on the duties of water project districts might be worth considering. We'll see what happens.

But the Legislature doesn't meet until January, and our budget is due by October 1. So Wednesday, we still have to decide what if anything the District needs to continue levying taxes for. Your ideas are welcome -- comment here, or come to the meeting!