In the West Central Tribune article, Renville County takes cautious approach toward buffer law, the ever-excellent Tom Cherveny reports:
But the commissioners instructed Soil and Water Conservation District Director Holly Hatlewick and Drainage Authority Director Larry Zupke not to go ahead with plans to send letters notifying landowners impacted by the requirement to add a one-rod buffer along public drainage systems.
Landowners must be in compliance with that requirement by Nov. 1, 2018.
Commissioner Randy Kramer said the county should wait until after the upcoming legislative session to send the 2018 letters, calling it “premature’’ to send the notifications at this point. [emphasis added]
If the legislature revisits statutes related to buffers in 2017, that'll be the third time in as many years that the House Republicans in control of the body try to get it right--all the while blaming the legislation on metro Democrats.
Nice work if you can get it.
If it weren't for the chance to make this political hay while the sun shines on their whining about the onerous burden of the language folks like Jeff Backer and others fought (and voted for) in 2015 and 2016, we'd have to wonder why the stalwart yeoman liberty defending Republicans would swim up this bull ditch again.
We pondered that question after reading another observation by Commissioner Kramer in the Cherveny article:
The commissioners noted that some landowners may choose not to comply with the buffer requirements.
Kramer reported that he has had a lot of questions from landowners regarding the $500 penalty for not complying with the law. Some may pencil out the costs of compliance against the penalty, he added.
In short, they'll make more money by sending water quality problem downstream than by being law-abiding. Now that's oppression!
Renville County is represented in the Minnesota House by anti-buffer whiner Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, who--wait for it--voted for the buffer bills in 2015 and 2016.
Photo: Some public ditches in Renville County pose more challenges than others. West Central Tribune file photo.
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As a landowner paying the assessment I think it should include a buffer
Posted by: Janet polansky | Dec 23, 2016 at 09:43 PM