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. <br />Otero County, Aurora reach deal <br />http://www.chieftain.com/print/tuesday/news/articles/ni3.htm <br />Under the agreement between the City of Aurora and Otero County: <br />• Aurora will pay Otero County for 90 years any decrease between the actual taxes assessed <br />against the 2,860 acres that would be affected by the proposed sale of Rocky Ford Ditch water <br />and the taxes that would have been assessed if the irrigation water was not removed. <br />• Aurora will continue to make payments to Otero County for the 4,100 acres dried up in the first <br />sale of Rocky Ford Ditch water, and will extend the term of those payments to coincide with the <br />90 -year term for the proposed sale. <br />• If Aurora reaches a future agreement with the Rocky Ford School District for any payment in <br />lieu of taxes, those payments will be deducted from the amount going to Otero County. In the <br />meantime, payment will go through the Otero County treasurer, who will give each taxing entity <br />its share. <br />• Aurora agrees to maintain the Rocky Ford Ditch, the ABS Drainage Way and the East Ranch <br />Drainage Ditch in perpetuity. <br />• Aurora agrees to develop a land use plan for the 4,100 acres it currently owns as a result of the <br />first transfer of Rocky Ford Ditch water. It will solicit input from Otero County and the City of <br />Rocky Ford and will try to incorporate their desires and ideas in the planning process. It also <br />will ask the current owners of land that would be dried up under the proposed sale for their <br />cooperation in a similar land -use planning process. <br />• If Aurora has water in excess of its annual Arkansas Basin component requirements, it may <br />make some of that water available to Otero County. <br />• Aurora will pay the first $125,000 of the feasibility and study portion of the Preferred Storage <br />Options Plan for Otero County - up to 5,000 acre -feet of enlargement space in Pueblo <br />Reservoir. <br />• Upon execution of the agreement, Otero County will withdraw its statements of opposition in <br />the Rocky Ford Ditch transfer and exchange cases. <br />• Otero County also agrees to support the Preferred Storage Options Plan report and HR1714, the <br />legislation that would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to contract with Aurora for the use <br />of excess storage space in the Fryingpan - Arkansas Project and would authorize reservoir- and <br />dam - enlargement studies. <br />©1996 -2000 The pueblo Chieftain Online <br />2 of 2 10/31/013:16 PM <br />