Budgets and Audits
Index
Budgets • Develop the Budget • Capital Projects • Program Priorities • Audits
The District goes through a multi-stage
process to develop its annual budget.
Staff reviews the ten-year Watershed Management Plan Implementation Plan and all completed water resource implementation plans for proposed activities.- Staff contacts all municipalities and agencies to discuss potential cooperative projects and stakeholder priorities.
- Board meets as many times as necessary for a budget workshop, generally at least twice, to assess the previous year’s work plan and consider projected projects and programs.
- Board holds a public hearing (generally at September regular board meeting) to receive public comment on the proposed draft levy and budget.
- Board certifies initial levy to the County in September.
- The budget is presented to the County Commissioners in a public workshop.
- Between September through December, Board reviews projects and programs. The Board determines if the final budget and levy can be reduced at the regular December Board meeting.
- Prior to final certification, the Board of Managers will take any additional public comment on the budget and levy at the December regular meeting.
- Final levy must be certified in December.
Capital Projects
- Brown’s Creek:
- Brown’s Creek Stream Restoration – approximately 2,000 linear feet of Brown’s Creek along the Brown’s Creek State Trail to restore habitat, reduce sedimentation, and improve access utilizing a MN Pollution Control 319 grant. Collaborate with MN Department of Natural Resources and city of Stillwater.
- Brown’s Creek Conservation Easement Area - Continue to implement natural resource management plan to restore up to 1,400 linear feet of Brown’s Creek and surrounding 13 acres.
- Long Lake:
- Applewood Reuse Project – Utilize surface water from the CSAH 15/TH 36 interchange project to irrigate the Applewood Hills Golf Course. Benefits include: reduce Applewood groundwater use by 40%, reduce phosphorous loading to Long Lake (impaired for excess nutrients) by 38 pounds per year. This is more than 30 pounds per year reduction over other stormwater management alternatives. By diverting the stormwater for water reuse, Long Lake and the channels downstream of the interchange will see less flooding, channel erosion and thermal pollution. Cost-share with Washington County. Construction 2023 completed late 2023. The system will begin to be used in 2024.
- Marketplace Reuse Feasibility – To continue the potential for reuse in the urban development area of Stillwater that drains to Long Lake, six marketplace stormwater ponds will be sampled for chlorides at the surface and bottom 14 times throughout the season in 2024. This data will show whether the water is usable for irrigation.
Program Priorities
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- Capital Improvement Project Maintenance: The BCWD has a growing list of CIPs requiring long-term maintenance: Kismet Basin, THPP, Countryside Auto, BC Park Rock Crib, Neal Ave Raingardens, Long Lake Raingardens, Norell Ave Pond Retrofit, and the Iron Enhanced Sand Filter. Annual inspections and maintenance activities are necessary to achieve intended water quality improvements.
- Permitting Program –Revise rules for single family home stormwater management applications and improve permit process as part of the next ten-year watershed management plan.
- Flood Risk Reduction Program – Next ten-year management plan to include flood management
- East Metro Water Resources Education Program – create programming to educate HOA’s regarding their stormwater management facilities maintenance obligations, what is a healthy buffer for water resources, and water softener and chloride education for residents
- Water Monitoring – continue to partner with the Washington Conservation District to conduct baseline monitoring on BCWD lakes and streams, as well as performance monitoring on recent CIPs to determine functioning and maintenance needs/frequency, collect groundwater information to better understand flooding and influence on Brown’s Creek and other groundwater dependent natural resources.
Audits
Minnesota Statute 103D.355 requires Watershed Districts to have an annual audit completed of the books and accounts of the watershed district.