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;~ , "., ." ..~\ . , AN<IMAS-LA PLATA PROJECT subdivide their lands. With the project they will be competitive and will be much less apt to subdivide. 7. Do THE PROJECT WATER USERS HAVE TO PAY FOR THE COST OF MITIGATING WILD- LIFE AND ARCHAEOLOGY? No not directly. These costs are paid for from general federal funds. 8. How WILL THE DISTRICT BOARD OF COLORADO BE FORMED?-- ELECTED OR APPOINTED? WHAT IS ITS POWER~? WHAT IS THE FARMER:CITY RATIO FOR BOARD MEMBE~s7 Conservancy distr~cts are formed by a petition process. The pet~t~ons must be signed by at least 25 percent of the owners of irrigation land and five percent of the owners of the remaining property within the boundaries of the proposed district. If there is a counter petition, with the same required signatures, the court must order an election. Conservancy district law provides that the court must appoint the board of directors. They have staggered terms. In the event a petition signed by no fewer than 15 percent of the qualified electors of the district requests an election to fill expiring terms of directors in lieu of court appointment, the court shall order an election for that particular term. The board of directors may execute a repayment contract for the Animas- La Plata Project, but this contract must be approved by a majority of the electors by vote in a special election. The board would also have the power to build supplemental facilities such as domestic water systems. In so doing they would have the power of eminent domain to acquire rights-of-way. They would be responsible for budgeting and collecting water assessments and pro- perty taxes with which to operate and maintain the system and the repay capital costs of the project. Real estate taxes would be limited to one half mill prior to delivery of project water and one mill thereafter. To put this in perspective, a person now paying $1,000 in property taxes could have those taxes increased when pro- ject water becomes available by an estimated $13.77 to $16.85, depending on the school district in which the person's property is located. Before petitions to form the new district are prepared, a decision must be made as to how many directors the new board will have. The law provides that there shall be no more than 15. It also provides that the district may be divided into subareas for the purpose of selecting directors. I ',1 I , " " :-'; , i;.; .'-:- ,~ .4 ~ -..;. f.., '-: 13