Contact: Sue Jones (608-224-3764)
Hearing set for August 19, 2010, 5:30 p.m. in City-County Building
The Lakes and Watershed Commission public hearing on its draft 2011 budget recommendations will be held during the Commission’s August 19, 2010 meeting, in Room 351 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 recommendations can be viewed at http://www.danewaters.com. Besides commenting at the public hearing, citizens may 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 Thursday, August 19.
Commission chair Melissa Malott said, “During these challenging economic times, it’s especially important to make strategic budget decisions and use public resources efficiently to protect and improve our lakes and streams.”
“We invite public comment before we complete our recommendations and send them to the County Executive and County Board,” said Chuck Erickson, chair of the Lakes and Watershed Commission’s Budget Subcommittee. “Please visit danewaters.com to review our support for navigational improvements and safety, stormwater outfall improvements, aquatic plant harvesting, shoreland demonstration projects, and other projects.”
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 September and October (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.
