Pioneer Region - Guernsey and Knox County Farm Bureaus
Concerns about a proposed assessment by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) prompted Knox County Farm Bureau to set up a meeting to discuss the issue. More than 250 people gathered April 13 at the Mid-East Career and Technology Center in Buffalo to hear about MWCD’s proposal to levy an assessment of $12 per year for 20 years on farm and residential parcels in 18 counties. The fees would generate about $250 million to be used for maintenance and improvements to MWCD’s reservoirs and water supplies. The meeting was sponsored by the Guernsey County Farm Bureau. State Reps. Jennifer Garrison, D-Marietta, and Alan Sayre, D-Dover, attended the meeting. During the meeting, local residents expressed concern about the current conditions around MWCD’s lakes and lack of maintenance to keep roads and surrounding fields from flooding, said Betsy Anderson, organization director for Belmont, Guernsey, Monroe and Noble counties. A MWCD representative said money from the assessment would be used for flood reduction and maintenance and not for recreation. He said recreational fees have already been raised and are not enough to pay for rising maintenance costs. | |