| County funnels $2.5 million toward Havasu flood projects | |
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By JAYNE HANSON Today's News-Herald - Lake Havasu City, Arizona | |
KINGMAN — The Mohave County Board of Supervisors — sitting as Board of Directors for Mohave County Flood District — handed out $4.8 million Monday for flood-control projects in communities throughout Mohave County. During the meeting, city officials from two of the four cities gave slideshow-type presentations of projects funded by Flood District money at the Board’s request. Kingman city officials deemed its channel and box culvert project associated with Johnson Canyon Wash project, projected to cost $2.7 million, is the focus of their 2011 monetary award of $855,000. Bullhead City city officials earmarked the $1.3 million award for the third and fourth phases of Chaparral/Havasupai flood project, and the Montana Wash project, and Silver Creek Slope Stabilization project. Colorado City city officials didn’t attend but met with staff Friday to discuss the $22,000 that would subsidize the restructuring of areas hit hard during a Dec. 2010 storm that resulted in the region being designated an emergency area. CITY PROJECTS Lake Havasu City Director of public works Mark Clark said the $2.5 million would support the Kiowa Drain project, pegged to cost about $750,000 to $1 million; the Pima Wash project; and Mockingbird Wash improvements, each at $500,000; and six or seven wash projects. Without a formal presentation for the board during the meeting, Clark told Today’s News-Herald this is the first time the supervisors have asked for such a presentation, and he wasn’t exactly sure what they were looking for. Clark said the Intergovernmental Agreements between the county flood-control district and each city were formed in May or June, at which time interaction between the county and the city is most appropriate. "If a presentation is given early in the process, that’s when give-and-take occurs," Clark said. "After the (Board of Directors) approved it in June, it’s a mute point." Clark said county staff informed him the presentations were voluntary, not required. And furthermore, the checks are dated sometime in June. Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson, R-Dist. 3, said the change is because of the flood-control district’s large fund pool. The change is also to keep taxpayers informed of how their dollars are spent overall. "As the county has grown to over 200,000 people, the amount of money is substantial," Johnson said. "With almost half of that going to Lake Havasu City, people are wanting to know exactly where that money is going. In the past, it may have seemed routine, but now there’s more scrutiny on taxpayers’ dollars." Johnson said the presentations aren’t only for the Board, but for the citizens, too. "The presentations are very helpful," Johnson said. "The money (in the fund) has gone up considerably as the population is going up. Before, there was not a tremendous amount of money, and now demands for flood control have increased. We really need to know that we are spending the money to the best use for all citizens of the county." All flood-control projects linked to those funds are done with the approval of the county supervisors acting as the board of Flood Control District, Johnson explained. "In years past, previous supervisors had divided up the money by portions of property tax payers, but that is not by law," he said. "The Board can spend that money any way they choose." The Flood Control District is a taxing entity that is directly linked to property taxes collected by the county. The division of the funds is at the discretion of the Board and is figured proportionately to the amount each city’s taxpayers contribute. During the meeting, Supervisor Gary Watson, R-Dist. 1, told city officials in attendance the funds are expected to dwindle as property values continue to drop. Clark told Today’s News-Herald he is already well aware of that fact. Clark said he anticipates "less or smaller projects" amid the decline. According to the June 14 Lake Havasu City Council Agenda, this year’s award is focused on projects including Kiowa Drain Culvert at Kiowa Blvd. and North Lake Havasu Ave.; Pima Wash Culvert improvements on McCulloch Blvd.; Mockingbird Wash Improvements at Sunny Ridge Dr.; Air Industrial Phase II Improvements; Lake Havasu City Geographic Information System; Residential Drainage Program consisting of smaller neighborhood projects; Wash Bank Stabilization Program for erosion detection and repair, Lake Havasu City Wash Maintenance Program that funds five full-time equivalent employees and materials for regular wash maintenance; and Lake Havasu Drainage Design Team that includes the cost of three full-time engineering division employees to perform design work for all of the previously stated projects. You may contact the reporter at jhanson@yahoo.com. | |
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havasunews.com Originally published Tuesday, September 13, 2011 | |
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