Review Proposed Amendments to Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization Joint Powers Agreement

Purpose
The purpose of this case is to review the attached draft Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization (LRRWMO) Joint Powwers Agreement (JPA) and provide comments for the LRRWMO Board of Commissioners to review and discuss at their October 17th LRRWMO Board meeting. 

Background
Attached is a copy of the draft LRRWMO JPA for the 10-year period from 2025 to 2034, with changes tracked.  Also attached for historical reference are copies of the first LRRWMO JPA used between 1995 and 2014, which includes 2007 amendments, as well as the current JPA adopted by the City of Ramsey in August 2014.

The attached draft 2025 - 2034 LRRWMO JPA includes numerous revisions and additions. Revisions were completed for the following primary purposes;

• Verify statutory language/references are current.
• Update references to other plans if modified since current JPA was adopted.
• Add numbers/letters to denote separate sections for clarity.
• Revise authorities and duties of members as needed.
• Remove references to the JPA's establishment.
• Add definitions.
• Add footnotes.
• Correct grammatical and spelling errors.
• Resolve inconsistencies.

Language highlighted in yellow in the attached draft reflect revisions each City is urged to review and comment on.  These revisions include;

• Page 7 - A Commissioner's right to vote is suspended if the member city is delinquent in making payments.
• Page 27 - Member assessments are capped at 120-percent of the amount the member city was assessed the previous year, unless the member city adopts a reslution approving the increase.
• Page 28 - The amount of a member's annual contribution to the operating budget shall not exceed one-half of one-percent of the net tax capacity of the member's total contributing area. 

A revisions summary is included on the cover page of the attached draft JPA.

City staff reviewed the attached draft JPA and offer the following comments.

• Pg. 21, section 5.6(b)(iii) - The word "Member" should not be deleted unless a definition for "City" is added to section 1.  Staff recommends not deleting the word "Member". 
• Pg. 30, section 7.2 - Why was 2/3 revised to 3/4 in the last sentence? There are only 3 member cities so a 3/4 approval is not attainable and would require a unanimous vote. Staff recommends leaving 2/3 as is.    

The City Attorney reviewed the draft JPA and approved it as to legal form.

Councilmember Musgrove is the City of Ramsey's Commissioner on the LRRWMO Board, and is currently Chair of the LRRWMO Board of Commissioners.  

Attached are 4 of the most applicable State Statutes addressing the purpose and operations of Watershed Management Organizations in Minnesota.   

Staff anticipates up to 30 minutes will be required to present this case and respond to questions. 

Staff recommends reviewing the attached draft LRRWMO JPA and providing comments for the LRRWMO Board of Commissioners to review and discuss at their October 17th LRRWMO Board meeting.    

Review the attached draft LRRWMO JPA and provide comments for the LRRWMO Board of Commissioners to review and discuss at their October 17th LRRWMO Board meeting.