Lakes and Watershed Commission Public Hearing on Budget Recommendations

August 23, 2006
Sue Jones 224-3764
Land & Water Resources

August 18, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Brett Hulsey (608-334-4994), Sue Jones (608-224-3764) DANE COUNTY LAKES AND WATERSHED COMMISSION TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON ITS 2007 BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS Hearing set for August 22, 2006, 5:30 p.m. in City-County Building The Lakes and Watershed Commission public hearing on its draft 2007 budget recommendations will be held during the Commission’s August 22, 2006 meeting, at 5:30 p.m., in Courtroom 310 of the City County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in downtown Madison. State law requires the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission to review county departments’ water-resource-related budgets. The budget review process was designed to give the Commission and public a chance to advocate for water resource-related budget initiatives. The draft Commission recommendations include budget expenditures for aquatic plant harvesting, staffing resources for the new Land and Water Legacy Fund, continuation of a patrol boat replacement program and implementation of the Stormwater Infiltration Task Force recommendations. The draft recommendations will be online soon at www.danewaters.com. Citizens can also submit written comments to the Lakes and Watershed Commission by sending a message to lakes@co.dane.wi.us. The deadline for electronic comments is noon on Tuesday, August 22. Commission chair Brett Hulsey said, "To protect our lakes, streams and drinking water, the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission believes that the county budget must include adequate funds and staff to continue the progress to conserve and protect our water resources. We invite public comment before we complete our recommendations to the County Executive." After the public hearing, the Commission will refine its recommendations and forward them to County Executive Kathleen Falk by September 1 for consideration in her budget. Commission recommendations are also provided to the County Board for their use in budget deliberations. The County Executive’s budget is delivered to the County Board on or before October 1. The County Board and County Executive hold public hearings on the budget during October and November (final dates to be determined). The County Board acts on the budget after receipt from the County Executive, typically adopting a final budget before Thanksgiving. # # #