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and -quality concerns. They serve an important function in coordinating Local units of government and local organizations to help prevent conflicting programs and dupli- cation of effort. All of the JPBs discussed in this report were formed voluntarily and are located outside the metro area. Funding for JPBs is allocated by each of the participating counties in the original Joint Powers Agreement. The counties may give these organizations taxing authority, but most have elected not to do so. County funds are used primarily for administrative expenses. Funding for special projects is obtained from grants or appropriations. WATERSHED IVfAi~AC;EMEi~T t}RGANIZATfC7f~S The passage of the 1982 Metropolitan Water Management Act mandates that comprehensive surface water management plans be developed for all of the 46 sub- watersheds in the seven-county metro area. This planning is undertaken by 36 local authorities called Watershed Management Organizations (WMOs). All citizens of the seven-county metro area of the Twin Cities are also citizens of a WMO. Each WMO has the responsibility of writing an individual plan for their watershed. Thirteen of the 36 WMOs are also Watershed Districts. These organizations have the responsibilities and authorities of a WMO, and are either pre-existing Watershed Dis- tricts or they have adopted, through petition, the authorities of a Watershed District. Legally, WMOs have access to the same taxing authorities that are inherent to Water- shed Districts. In practice, however, the taxing structure of the two organizations dif- fers somewhat. Like Watershed Districts, WMOs can levy taxes to pay for capital improvements, so they have unlimited ad valorem tax authority. Unlike Watershed Districts, however, WMOs are bound by the language spelled out in their original Joint Powers Agreements. As most communities that form JPBs wish to retain that authority for themselves, taxing authority is, in effect, rarely extended to the WMOs. In most cases, each WMO sets a budget and the individual communities incorporate the costs into their own budgets and assessments.' The primary differences between WMO and Watershed District authorities are out- lined in the table on the following page: Z Pers. Comm. Doug Thomas, Board of Wa[er and Soil Resources (BWSR), 1998 ~'~ 5