Watershed Management Authority proposal introduced at City Council meeting

At its Monday night meeting, the Clear Lake City Council was briefed by Deb Tesar, representing the Association for the Preservation of Clear Lake (APCL), about the idea of a new “Watershed Management Authority.”  The idea would continue the efforts started by the APCL and the CLEAR Project, which was formed in 1995.  Since that time, millions of dollars have been spent on various lake restoration projects, including $12 million on dredging alone.

“We don’t want to loose ground,” Teasar said.

Currently, the CLEAR Project has been without a coordinator since the resignation of Mary Jo Burkgren in June of this year.  Since that time there have been numerous meetings with representatives from the Hancock and Cerro Gordo County Soil Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), Cities of Clear Lake and Ventura, Iowa DNR, Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship and the APCL.  It was at one of these meetings that the Iowa DNR suggested the APCL consider forming a Watershed Management Authority.

The WMA would enhance communication among all stakeholders, provide a more inclusive model for oversight of the CLEAR Project coordinator position and provide long-term oversight of the important work toward lake improvement.  Other advantages would include the being able to apply for and allocate money from water quality grants. The CLEAR Project coordinator would also report directly to the WMA.  All parties that have a part to play in keeping Clear Lake clean would be better informed.  Another advantage is that the organization would be around for the long term.

In the past, the salary for the CLEAR Project coordinator was funded with monies from an EPA 319 grant, the City of Clear Lake and the APCL.  In the short term, this approach could be taken again, but the APCL would like to think more long-term and offer a better total compensation package and remove any uncertainty related to grant related funding.

Tesar said that her presentation was more of an effort to inform the city council as to what was going on with APCL and CLEAR Project.  She went on to say however, that at a future meeting she would like to see a “resolution of commitment or support” from the city to continue their financial backing of the CLEAR Project.

Mayor Nelson Crabb agreed, “Clear Lake must continue to be clean and clear and we must do whatever it takes to maintain the quality of our lake.”

In other council business Monday night, an early retirement incentive program and post retirement sick leave conversion credit was approved 5-0.  This opportunity enables eligible employees to convert their accumulated sick leave hours to a “dollar-based credit” to pay future premiums for health insurance coverage under the City’s group health insurance program.  The City allows employees to carry a maximum

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of 800 hours of sick leave (848 public safety personnel). Intersested employees would have to provide written notice of their intent and meet certain criteria to retire by Nov. 30, 2015 and then retire by Dec. 31, 2015.

Also approved by a vote of 5-0 was to sell the S. 3rd Street property. The City received two bids for city-owned land at 1123 (including south one-half of 1119) S. 3rd Street.  City Administrator Scott Flory has advised the Council to accept the highest offer, submitted by Jim and Judy Hilgendorf, of Clear Lake, in the amount of $40,100.  The Hilgendorfs  have proposed construction of a twin home on the site.     

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