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CWCS DECISION ITEMS REQUESTED FOR FY 1999.2000. OVERVIEW I~~y a ~~~...7;~~~ Yra~' ,,"Tr 4.2% increase Construction Fund Program - DNR Decision Item Priority #3 $ 94,636 Total flTES requested: 1 Contract Compliance Assistant. 1 Water Rights Protection Specialist The Total of $94,636 includes salary and benefit costs ($79,191), operating and capitol outlay costs ($15,445). The Construction Fund Loan Program has been wildly successfully in extending services to additional constituents. During the last five years we have increased the number of loans by almost 110% and increased the average number of projects completed each year by over 85%. However, the September 1998 performancce audit conducted by the State Auditor's Office identified extensive shortcomings in our administration of the loan program. These include the need to provide more consistent evaluation of contract compliance (including the maintenance of insurance policies and the adjustment of assessment revenues), better protection of collateral, and better maintance of account information and project records. The Construction Fund Loan Program has not requested additional staff for almost five years, but is doing so now in order to improve our administration.of the program without cutting back on the technical and financial assistance it provides. Two new positions are needed. The first is an accountant and the second is a contract compliance assistant. However, last spring the agency took advantage of a vacany in the Instream Flow Program to accellerate the recruitment of accounting expertise into our staff. The audit recommendations validate the basis for making this judgement call. As a result, the decision item actually requests authorization to hire a water rights protection specialist (to replace the borrowed position) and a contract compliance assistant. The water rights protection specialist plays a very important roie in resolving potential confiict between protection of the state's instream flow water rights and other water rights with as little litigation as possible and has been very effective in meeting that objective. Request is 50% Cash Fund Exempt and 50% General Funds Interstate Compact Dues/Assessment Increases - DNR Decision Item Priority #12 $ 15,537 Total This decision item covers the yearly increases in the four interstate water organization to which te CWCB pays dues or assessments. This reprpesents the precise increase in dues for ese four associations. . he State Engineer's Office also includes any dues/assessment increases they may receive in the same Decision Item. In 1999, the following organizations have indicated an increase in their dues/assessments: Upper Colorado River Commission $5,020 increase Arkansas River Compact Admin. $3,600 increase Colorado River Basin Salinity Control $3,417 increase Totai Increase to CWCB Dues $ 12,037 4.2% increase Costilla Ck. Compact Assessment -SEO $ 3,500 Total Increase . both Divisions $ 15,527 CWCB Requests are split 50/50 between General Funds and Cash Fund Exempt, SEO's is General Fund. Local Planning Grants. Severance Tax Operational Fund. DNR Decision Item Priority #19 . Each year, the CWCB submits its request for additional funding to the Severance Tax Operations Fund in the form of a Decision Item. In the 1999- 2000 Budget Submittal, a request is being made for an additional $225,000 for Local Planning Grants to be added to the existing $275,000 appropriation from the Severance Tax Operational fund. The total of existing appropriation and requested new funding is approximately equal to the allowable 5% of the balance in the Operational Fund that the CWCB may request. In the FY 1999 . 2000 request, the additional Severance Tax Funds will be used for: Local Water Planning: $145,000 Water Project Canst. Loan Program $40,000 .. (feasibility studies) . Water Resources Data Collection $40,000 All funds requested are Cash Funds from the Severance Tax Operational Fund. $ 225,000 81.8% increase