Budgeting Time

By Laurie Zeller, Bureau Chief

By the first Monday in July, conservation districts must, in writing, submit an estimate of the amount of money to be raised by assessing your mill levy. Conservation districts do this in many different ways – some send a letter saying that the maximum mill levy will be levied. If a conservation district assesses a permissive levy for group benefits, that would be included in the letter. Some conservation districts submit a budget. Either way is fine.

Things to keep in mind:

• The submission that is required to be sent to the county in July is an estimate – or a preliminary budget.
• The date for the Department of Revenue to get the certified taxable values done is August 3. They will then send you your certified taxable valuation, so watch for it. If you don’t get it, contact your local Department of Revenue to receive a copy. 
• Use the information Department of Revenue’s certified taxable value form to fill out your determination of maximum mill levy form. The county does this for some conservation districts, however, it is really is the conservation district’s responsibility to do so. This form looks daunting if you are unfamiliar with it, but there are only a few entries needed to fill out the form. Instructions are mostly self-explanatory, but contact us if you need help. Your final budget will be based on this form.
• Check with the county to make sure they don't need it earlier.
• Submit the determination of maximum mill levy form to your county.  Your county has to have their budget ready for their commissioners by the 1st Tuesday in September. 
• Your mill levy should not go down in most cases. If, after filling out the forms, it looks like it will, you should try to get to the bottom of it, but you won’t have much time.
• Contact Karl or Mary for help filling out the forms or for any other help you need.

IMPORTANT SUPREME COURT CASE

The Flathead Conservation District recently prevailed in a Supreme Court case pertaining to jurisdiction over a waterway in their district. This case clearly supported the conservation district’s review of the facts and application of the law. It also further emphasized that conservation districts should not rely on overly technical definitions to determine jurisdiction, especially if those definitions do not support the constitutional underpinnings of the act. Click here to read the decision.

CD LAW BOOKS AND DIRECTORIES

New CD law books and directories have been printed and can be sent to you upon request. If you can wait, we can also deliver those at area meetings, too. 

St. Mary / Milk River Update

by Karl Christians, CD Specialist

By now you have heard some of the challenges the St Mary diversion and conveyance system have faced.  The bad news is the irrigators just had the water turned off until early July, of which they hope to get another week of irrigating before the reservoirs run out of irrigation water. The good news is the Milk River Joint Board of Control has contracted with company to complete the repairs to both drop structure 2 and 5.  

The repairs just started the week of June 22, with the goal to have them completed by fall and possibly have water running again before winter shut down. This system was authorized by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1903, began construction in 1907 using horse drawn equipment. The project was mostly completed by 1924, with Fresno reservoir being completed in 1939. This system is impressive having been built in it’s time!   The MRWA has an excellent ‘story map’ (click on story map) of this system. 

While we hear about how the system provides water for irrigation, we don’t hear as much the other benefits it provides. Municipal water for the cities of Havre, Chinook, Harlem and Fort Belknap. Wildlife habitat along the entire Milk River, habitat for a number of threatened species, warm and sediment carrying water to help mitigate the cold clear waters coming out of Fort Peck Reservoir to benefit over 40 species of fish that are reliant on these warmer waters, water for the Bowdoin Wildlife Management Area, as well as numerous recreation opportunities. This system really is the Lifeline of the Hi-line!    

RENEWABLE RESOURCE GRANT AND LOANS (RRGL) UPDATE:

Congratulations CD’s!! You submitted 9 of the 76 RRGL applications received by the June 1 deadline. All of them were irrigation/water related.  Our sister bureau, Reclamation Development Bureau (RDB), is working on the ranking process right now. The next step will be the legislatures' approval, with funding becoming available after July of 2021.  The contracting and procurement process can be a bit challenging so we will work with the RDB to provide training and guidance to make your jobs easier!  Again, congrats on your hard work!!

PERMISSIVE LEVY REMINDER…  

If you haven’t had your public meeting for the permissive levy, you must do it soon!   Don’t forget the notice requirements. If you have questions, give me a call.

Sun River Site Visit

by Jason Garber, 310 Stream Permitting Coordinator

This week I attended a site visit on the Sun River near Fort Shaw. This area has seen flooding in recent years and part of the river has recently captured the lower reach of a small tributary known as Adobe Creek. 

Tenlee Atchison with the Cascade Conservation District organized the site visit which was attended by local landowners, agency representatives and the Sun River Watershed Group. As we were making our way to the river from where we parked, we were picking our way through thick willows when someone remarked that grizzlies have been utilizing the area in recent years, thus I was on high alert. However, the only wildlife we encountered where song birds and plenty of mosquitoes!

After the site visit, Karin Boyd with Applied Geomorphology gave a presentation in Sun River that summarized some results to date of a Channel Migration Zone (CMZ) study she is working on for the lower Sun River. CMZ mapping involves using aerial photography and other metrics to understand how a river has moved and changed within it’s floodplain over time. The information she provided indicated that portions of the lower Sun have changed a fair amount in recent years due to high flows and bedload deposition. CMZ mapping is a very useful tool for watershed and project planning on rivers in Montana. 

It was a great afternoon to be in the field and I learned a little more about how rivers evolve over time.

Help businesses in your District apply for funding to offset Covid-related expenses

by Linda Brander, CD Specialist

Two weeks ago, I had to have dental work done on my mouth and my horses had to have their teeth floated. After my dentist and vet completed their work, I asked each of them, “have you heard about the Business Adaptability Program that can help you pay for the expenses related for the Coronavirus Virus?  Each of them said no. 

After that experience, I called companies and nonprofits I knew and told them how the apply for a grant up to $5000 to recover expenses related to  the covid virus.

This act of community service felt so good; each one of the owners or organization directors expressed gratitude and that left me with a real good feeling.

When you are out shopping, securing professional services (chiropractor, dentist, medical, lawyer, etc.) or dining at a restaurant, take the time and tell them about the grant. If your chamber has a newsletter, see if they can insert a media release (see attached release). Because you and your board members live in the community, you can be one of the best sources to get the word out.

This financial assistance is funded through $1.25 billion in federal emergency relief through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act; the Business Adaptability Program is administered by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. 

For more information or to apply, visit https://commerce.mt.gov/Coronavirus-Relief 

Local Government Reimbursements

COVID-19 Reimbursement Guidance for Local Governments

The following information is provided for your information only. Please check out the article and link provided to see if this program may work for you and your district. 

The CARES Act provides that payments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund may only be used to cover costs that— 

1. are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19); 

2. were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the local government; and 

3. were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020 and ends on December 30, 2020. 

In addition to the statutory guidance above, there have been instances of supplemental guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury (the “Treasury”). Specific examples of pertinent guidance currently known – relating specifically to local government expenditures – are as follows:

1. Eligible expenses include COVID-19 related expenditures for specific items including, but not limited to: 

• medical expenses;
•  public health expenses; 
• all regular and overtime pay (not benefits) for first responder, public safety, and public health personnel for the duration of the declared State of Emergency through the Phase 1 re-opening (March 12 – May 31, 2020); 
• other employees, regular and overtime hours substantially dedicated to mitigating or responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency; substantially dedicated means the employee dedicated at least 2/3 of regular time to mitigating or responding to COVID-19, since March 1, 2020; and,
• expenses to facilitate compliance with COVID-19 related public health measures.  

2. Coronavirus Relief Funds may not be used to:

• fill shortfalls in government revenue or be used to replace lost revenue including the provision of assistance to meet tax obligations;
• duplicate reimbursement of expenses already reimbursed by the federal government; or 
• pay workforce bonuses other than overtime; or
• reimburse costs already paid through other federal funding.

Guidance from the Treasury has been and will continue to be clarified, refined, and amended. As such, the State of Montana reserves the right to revise guidance to local governments based on guidance from the Treasury.

For more information, to see if you qualify and/or to apply, visit the Montana Coronavirus Relief Fund link here.

Upcoming Grant Opportunities 

We are accepting applications for the following grants: 

• HB223, Mini-Education, and District Development grants: Deadline July 15, 2020
• Pollinator Grants are open on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For more information on grants, please visit the Grants and Loans page here.