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<br />B. FY 87-88 Funding <br /> <br />Ninety-three thousand one hundred fifty-four dollars ($93,154) was appro- <br />priated from the General Fund for the operation of the satellite-linked <br />monitoring system for FY 87-88. A total of $260,367 was approved for total <br />program expenditures for FY 87-88. With a projected budget of $228,341, the <br />cash funded balance is $135,187. With a carry-over of $12,369 from FY 86-87, <br />the balance to be collected in user fees is $122,818. Projected user fee <br />collections in FY 87-88 is $93,600, leaving a deficit of $29,218. The Depart- <br />ment of Natural Resources, Division of Automated Data Processing. advised that <br />the $10,000 fund transfer in FY 86-87 would not be available in FY 87-88. <br /> <br />C. FY 88-89 Funding <br /> <br />The Office of the State Engineer, Division of Water Resources, has sub- <br />mitted a budget proposal requesting that beginning in FY 88-89 the General <br />Fund appropriation increase from $93,154 to $155,525. As the FY 88-89 <br />operatin9 budget is projected to be $245,525, the cash funded portion amounts <br />to $90,000. It is believed that this level of funding is more in line with <br />the potential for current user fee collection. <br /> <br />D. Future Funding Considerations <br /> <br />The water user community has expressed the opinion that the administra- <br />tion of the state's water resources is a public responsibility. The satellite <br />monitoring system is effectively being utilized in daily water rights adminis- <br />tration, hydrologic records development, flood monitoring, water resources <br />accounting, and in the administration of interstate compacts. All of these <br />tasks are carried out for the benefit of the public. By having the entire <br />operating budget allocated from the General Fund, the cost of operating the <br />system can be borne by all water users while ensuring its continued operation. <br /> <br />The satellite monitoring system represents a $1,800,000 investment by the <br />state of Colorado to apply space-age technology to the administration and <br />management of the state's most valuable natural resource. The allocation of <br />General Funds to operate the system will provide all interested users the <br />opportunity to. directly utilize the system's capabilities, which is a primary <br />objective of the Office of the State Engineer. Non-Colorado water users, i.e. <br />the state of Kansas, will be provided access only on a user fee basis. Users <br />being provided with special services, i.e. the receiving and processing of <br />data transmissions from privately operated data collection hardware, will <br />still be required to pay for the actual cost of those services. <br /> <br />A major thrust in marketing the satellite-linked monitoring system is in <br />the integration of the system into the operations of other state agencies. <br />Discussions have been held with the Division of Wildlife, Department of <br />Health, and the Water Conservation Board, to determine what needs can be met <br />through the utilization of the monitoring system. Increased General Fund <br />appropriations can be more easily obtained if more broad based, interagency <br />utilization can be achieved. <br /> <br />-70- <br />