Get board under control
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Editor,
The Flathead Joint Board of Control almost doubled our irrigation administrative fees to $5 an acre to bankroll opposition to the CSKT compact in Helena. Their attorneys are running $18,000 a month for the session. Their lobbyist was $15,000 a month. The engineer was up to $40,000, the lobbyist to lobby democrats was $10,000 and the propaganda person was $12,000, extra hours for the FJBC secretary is unknown, and $6,000 for the Dutton Report — although the conclusion was thoroughly refuted — and an unknown amount spent on a flyer sent out to county residents that was full of misinformation. That is over $250,000 of irrigator money that has been totally wasted in the last six months.
They are also suing the BIA for taking over the project after they forced the BIA into taking that action. They have allotted $50,000 to check out the low cost block of power had they been successful in their efforts to kill the compact. The low cost block of power is part of the compact.
This waste of our irrigator dollars has got to stop. Get involved. Let the commissioners know that it is time to get back to the business of irrigation water and getting our project turned back to local control.
Watch for the next meeting. Call 745-2090 to get on the Flathead Joint Board of Control email list and to get information on the next joint board meeting.
There is a joint board election. Check out the candidates and get your ballots mailed back. Your vote matters.
Susan Lake
Ronan
