04-28-1986 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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2) Similar arguments for increased county support of the county DOT maintenance operations appear appropriate, based on the majority percent of usership from Hennepin Count;. c. Regional Recreation Open Space 1) Acquisit')n and development dollars for new regional recreation open space features on the lake should come from a special a,propriation of state bond funds as an additional elerrrent in the Regional Recreation Open Space Capital Improvement Program. La►e Minnetonka qualifies as a regional resource and the opportunity to do something significant occurs here. There have been other instances (e.g.. Como Zoo) where the legislature has recognized that a special area or project merits special funding for resolution of a critical situation. It should be treated in such a way as to enable a timely solution without handicapping the long-range plans for orderly development of the rest of the regional system. 2) Operations and maintenance funds for a regional recreation open space agency are another important consideration. If a major new entity is funded for quick development, a rapidly increased operat- ing burden is placed on the operating agency. Given the general condition of operating budgets today, this could be a real impedi- ment to action. MCTFLM recommends that this project receive a timely special supplement during "start-up" which will provide ade- quate dollars for the agency to begin operations and make provisions for continuing support in its regular operating budget process. This sort of problem wa- specifically addressed in the Metropolitan Council's position statement on regional recreation 0 6 M; no new direction appears necessary. (See Appendix D, the Council's posi- tion statement on -egional 0 b M supplementary funding.) d. State boating safety fund increases are recommended. The fund could be increased by legislative action increasing the annual allocation from existing sources. Added revenue to the safety fund could also come from increased boat license fees. A substantial portion of the increased safety funds should be granted for special projects to active agencies such as Hennepin County Sheriff's Patrol and the LMCD to support boating safety services. Increases to the agency grants should be tied to inc-eased local effort. The MCTFLM also considered the issue of a separate license or sticker as a source of revenue from boaters or Lake Minnetonka. The task force found the source attractive for its applicability and equity but recog- nized the policy issue it raises, namely, should DNR then require a special sticker for every lake in the state which is attractive to arge groups of boaters? The issue is a major problem to a lake license approach. S.4 The MCTFLM recommends the following schedule: a. Implementation of the recommendations of the 1983 task force for park- ing, new boat launches, and shoreline access should be carried out, or a firm schedule for thei► impleme-itation agreed to, by the end of calendar year 1987. The actions w'll be carried out by DNR, LMCD and specific affected municipalities. E