2001-08-23_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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BlNSR PVleeting 6V]inutes July 25, 2001 Page Six New Business Wetland Principles and Goals -Darrell Bruggman reported that the report on WCA Rule Revision Principles will be given by John Jaschke. John Jaschke reported that the cost- share program will hire an intern position to look at sites and generate a report over the next year. Greg Larson will post this position at the U of M. The Wetland Conservation Act statute changes in 2000 state that BWSR. has the responsibility to have amended permanent rules in place by July 31, 2002. The formal rule-making phase will begin in mid-October with a draft rule proposed and statement of need and reasonableness supporting it and submitted to the Office of Administrative Hearings, and published in the State Register. It is helpful to BWSR, staff, and various stakeholders, to convene informally before an official proposal is developed. Having principles and goals helps stakeholders and staff, understand what the Board is trying to accomplish. John Jaschke explained that WCA could benefit from being better incorporated into local ordinances. The WCA could be integrated into the local zoning and planning activities in a county or city. Time also needs to be spent working with federal and state agencies to get regulatory coordination agreements and to clarify who is doing what and when. We continue to hear that there is a great amount of duplication occurring. John Jaschke reviewed the WCA Rule Revision. Principles and Goals. If anyone has comments, please send them to John Jaschke for decision at the August meeting. Discussion followed. Phil Belfiori gave a brief presentation entitled "A Better Connection"on the local ordinance incorporation process. WCA is best done in conjunction with both local and state responsibilities and works best when they are connected. The rule should perpetuate this. CREP Video -Wayne Edgerton, Department of Natural Resources, was not available to present the CREP video. Legislative Update -Doug Thomas distributed a copy H. F. No. 8, passage of the CREP Bill. Doug asked that your legislators be thanked, by a phone call, card or letter for their efforts and their vote in support of CREP. We have 19 of the 20 DNR positions that were in place one year ago converted to the BWSR payroll and they will be working for the next 12 months continuing to do the landowner contacts. The biggest hurdle is the engineering; about 40 percent of the easements have a wetland restoration as part of it. Those restorations all require site investigation, survey, design, and construction supervision by our staff or local staff. Doug reported that the tax bill had three items in it -the first one was with watershed districts. The watershed districts administrative levy had been at $125,000 since the early 1970's. That limit was raised to $250,000 as well as the percent. There is actually two parts to that cap, the lesser of $125,000 or a tax rate that was applied to the market