Proposed NRD budget includes funding for LB701 measures

Members of the public will get a chance to voice their views on the 2007-08 budget of the Middle Republican Natural Resources District, at an open budget hearing 7 p.m. Tuesday at Memorial Auditorium, West Fifth and C streets in McCook.

MRNRD board members will then be asked to approve the budget at their regular meeting, to follow at 7:30 p.m.

The 2007-08 budget includes the taxes the MRNRD will levy to implement LB701.

The $4.763 million budget estimates $778,464 collected in property taxes and $2.152 million in occupation taxes. Property and occupation taxes that the MRNRD will levy will then be finalized upon approval of the budget.

The 2007-08 budget calls for property owners in McCook and surrounding areas to be assessed almost 5 cents, or .0472, per $100 valuation and irrigated acres owners charged $7.13 per $100 valuation. CREP acres are not included in the occupation taxes but will be assessed for property taxes.

EQIP acres will be included in the irrigated acres, said Dan Smith, general manager of MRNRD.

Of the $4 million budget, about $2.9 million is the MRNRD portion of the almost $9 million that will be used to buy surface water rights from irrigators in the Republican River Basin.

Action items at the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m., include adopting or tabling revisions for the Ground Water Management Area, that includes setting allocation numbers for ground water pumping, and a resolution that formalizes the agreement that the three Republican River NRDs will work as a coalition for bonding.

Allocations are currently set at 13 inches, with 12 inches up for approval at Tuesday night's meeting.

The Republican River Basin coalition will work with Ameritas Financial Services to borrow about $9.8 million for surface water buyouts. The bond will be paid back by the increased property taxes and newly utilized occupation taxes, as authorized in LB701. The new law allows the NRDs to assess taxes to pay for surface water buyouts, with water purchased then sent to Kansas to meet Republican River allocations.

The three Republican River NRD's will pay off the bond according to a formula based on the impact of groundwater pumping, Smith said at a previous meeting.

This means the Upper NRD is responsible for 40 percent of the bond, the Middle, 30 percent and the Lower 26 percent.