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The Chisago Lakes Lake Improvement District has reached a milestone. Taxpayers in the district have paid off the debt sold to fund construction of the lake lowering and outflow projects.

County Auditor Dennis Freed advised the county commissioners last week that Lake Improvement District (LID) budgeting continues to include revenue levels that were needed to pay-off bonds even though those expenditures ended in 2004.

This is something the County Board might want to look into, Freed suggested. The upcoming LID levy is the same as it was in ‘05-- $250,000. Freed told the County Board, “The LID Board should come in and inform (you) about how they propose to spend this.”

Before any big changes take place within the LID structure, though, one Department of Natural Resources official said the Chisago Lakes LID needs to make sure it gets all projects done along the lake level-regulation system.

Regional Hydrologist Mike Mueller said the Swamp Lake and downstream projects, as designed, are incomplete. These need to be finalized and adequate funds must be set aside for pending easement acquisitions on private parcels.

“The LID needs to first make sure the water’s running where it’s supposed to run,” Mueller noted. Easements to use private land to drain outflow, especially off Wallmark Lake, are not going to come cheap, Mueller added.

Once the level control system is completed, assuming lake levels are the LID’s only focus; “...then they could start to ramp down the levy,” Mueller offered.

The Chisago Lakes Chain (see map) and adjacent watershed have comprised the Lake Improvement District (LID) for 20 years.

The district was actually created 30 years ago-- in April 1976-- ironically because of issues having to do with low water levels in the chain.

The LID was “reactivated” by the County Board in 1984 when lakeshore flooding held everyone’s attention.

A manmade system of weirs, overland channels and outlets were designed and built, and in 1986 the county sold bonds to pay the bill.

County Auditor Freed last week got County Board approval to transfer $63,279 in the LID bond payment account into the LID’s on-going maintenance account, closing out the debt service fund. (Any delinquent taxes within the district boundaries paid in the future, will also go into the maintenance fund.)

The LID budget has grown substantially since it was created.

The operating budget early-on was about $10,000. It was $12,699 in 1994-95 with the debt payment levy at $125,000 additional. The 2002 budget was $73,200 with a $225,000 bond payment. The 2006 operating budget is $350,000.

Mueller mentioned that Lake Improvement Districts can have issues outside of lake level as their mission. A LID might adopt a mission on water quality projects or addressing aquatic plant problems, he said.

Statutorily LID Boards have fewer permitting authorities than say, a Watershed District Board or WMO.

Commissioner Bob Gustafson is the County Board LID liaison. He did not return our call.

The LID meets the second Monday of each month, at the lower level of the Government Center in Center City.

Meetings start at 7 p.m. The next meeting is January 9.

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