The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Board meeting was Thursday April 11th at 6:00pm and was held in the City Hall Council Chambers located on the third floor of City Hall. The full meeting is now available online at this streaming video link.
Public Comment: There were 6 interested parties in attendance. Those interested in commenting missed the first comment period and waited till the end of the meeting. A representative from the Tigersharks Surf Club which is trying to help local kids learn water safety and how to surf made a second appeal for funding from the District. A resident from the Horseshoe bay area tried to plea with the Board for reconsideration of their lake level decision showing photographs that illustrated half the bay empty last summer.
Septic Ordinance: There was an extensive discussion of the septic program and sewers on the lake. The discussion came and went throughout the entire meeting as consumed 2 to 2.5 hours of the meeting. In summary the septic program seems to have morphed from water shutoff as a mechanism to something more like adding a surcharge to water service for those who have not completed the required inspections.
Vegetation Management: The District has stated an outreach program to the public to find interested members of the public to assist in lobbying for grass carp. This outreach has been primarily limited to online efforts rather than direct contact or direct mail. Other tasks on the project were discussed.
Sewer: Brian Green reported again on the Voyage Local Improvement District, which lead to another round of discussion on sewers around the lake. The District seems to be toying with getting actively involved in encouraging the expansion of sewer LID’s around the lake. It is unclear from the discussion of what decision was made.
RARE Program: District staff proposed that the $20,000 be invested in an effort to secure another season of a RARE Intern. More information was requested.
Devils Lake Community Grant Program: The District is proposing to make available funding for grants to non-profits, community organizations, and local governments to engage in activities that offer benefits that align with the District’s mission up to $6,000 annually. The Board did not take action on this request but did authorize $1,000 to be given to the Tigersharks Surf Club with the condition that the children work an unspecific amount maintaining the rain gardens.
The meeting adjourned after 10pm.
