Senate Bill 9 & 10 Defeated. Last week the River Basin Natural Resource Districts bill was before the Senate Ag & Natural Resource Committee. This bill originally started with our backing as it would change water management in our state, primarily drainage law, from a county basis to an entire watershed management system, which is a better water management practice. Unfortunately, it was amended along the way and the bills in front of the Senate Committee removed all citizens living in Class 1 cities from having any vote in how water was managed by these new Districts. It also started chopping up current Water Development Districts which have worked for cleaner water through the years. For these reasons we opposed the bill, and it was defeated in committee.
Senate Bill 66 This is the Governor's Riparian Strip Bill which we will support. This bill sets up a new ag- land tax classification for vegetated riparian buffer strips along waterways. It reduces the property taxes paid on 50' to 120' wide buffer strips by 40% . This is a voluntary action by the landowner and is not a mandatory action. We support this bill as it removes the tax disincentive for maintaining buffer strips along waterways and lakes in South Dakota.
