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<br />Mr. Ford: Larry, on the feasibility studies that are necessary to <br />be made before we can decide on projects, are the funds available <br />for that? <br /> <br />r-tr. Sparks: Yes. <br /> <br />Mr. Ford: Does your office furnish the staff to do this? Or just <br />the funds? <br /> <br />Mr. Sparks: We have the funds for feasibility investigations under <br />the project construction fund. What we do in most of those cases is <br />to employ consultants to prepare feasibility reports. If we had to <br />prepare a feasibility report on all the applications, we couldn't do <br />it with three times the staff we have now. <br /> <br />Mr. Stapleton: Well, I would like to suggest that at least thirty <br />days before we vote on any such program we review guidelines, so that <br />not only we but other people that may be applying to this fund will <br />have an opportunity to take a look at them. <br /> <br />Mr. Sparks: What we would do for every project is have a complete <br />summary of it sent out in advance of the board meeting. The staff <br />would make some recommendation as to whether we thought the project <br />was one that should be pursued by the board. We have some requests <br />for assistance that we are very dubious about. When a request is made <br />to us we want to submit it to the board with a staff recommendation. <br /> <br />Mr. Stapleton: Larry, I don't think I need to tell you that in the <br />last few months a conflict of interest has become a common question <br />and knowledge. I think that has to be taken into account in terms of <br />who the consultants are and what their conflicts may be. Otherwise, <br />we are going to get off to a lousy start in the program to begin with. <br /> <br />Mr. Ten Evck: Mr. Chairman, I would like to get us to clarify what <br />we are talking about, because I thought the agenda item we were <br />discussing was related to financial assistance for experimental proj- <br />ects designed to promote greater water-use efficiency or salinity <br />abatement. I get the impression we are also talking about construc- <br />tion projects that the state might be involved in. And I am wondering <br />if I am misunderstanding some of the points. Haven't we kind of <br />mixed apples and oranges in this, or not? <br /> <br />~tr. Stapleton: I hadn't intended to. There may be some conflicts <br />with agenda item No.4, about flood con'trol projects. <br /> <br />Mr. Ten Evck: Some of the things that Larry has referred to, I thought <br /> <br />-18- <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br />