Harrison Waterway District seeks level funding as county withdrawals, dam repairs strain budget

Harrison Waterway District asked the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for roughly the same level of funding as its current fiscal year, just above $8 million, and urged restorations of previously cut positions so the district can maintain parks and meet ongoing dam-repair obligations.

The district’s counsel, Randy Pierce, and comptroller, George Deku, briefed the committee on staffing, a string of county withdrawals that reduced ad valorem revenue, and a series of aging dams that the district says need major work. The presentation said membership and revenue declines over the last decade have reduced the district’s cushion and that the district has trimmed part‑time positions and left some vacancies unfilled to preserve cash.

Why it matters: the district operates nine parks in the region and says it has long‑term maintenance obligations for dams funded in part by federal grants. Pierce told the committee that after counties left the district the agency lost an amount of ad valorem revenue that the district estimated as a substantial share of its budget over an 11‑year period. The district said those lost county contributions were not replaced by park revenue.

The district gave multiple examples of repair costs. A dam at a former park in Lamar County required more than $500,000 in repairs despite that county’s withdrawal, the district said. The district also described a failed dam in Clark County that it called “an empty mess” and said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had estimated multi‑million‑dollar repairs; the district said it does not have those funds on hand and that it received $2 million last year toward that need.

The district asked the house and senate to remove restrictive language in the current appropriation that it says blocks access to a grant for a horse‑trail repair project at Flint Creek. Deku told the committee the district has a $500,000 grant with a 20% local match for the Flint Creek horse‑trail work that is currently inaccessible because of restrictive language placed in the appropriation; the district asked the legislature to consider removing that restriction so it can access the funding.

On staffing, the district said legislative budget reductions cut its authorized positions from 55 to 42. Pierce said the district eliminated several part‑time positions in recent years and still has vacant lines it would like to fill cautiously to avoid depleting reserves. The district asked that positions previously cut by the legislative budget office be restored where needed.

The committee asked whether the district is legally obligated to repair dams even when a county has withdrawn. The district answered that litigation over withdrawals produced rulings that left the district responsible for certain perpetual obligations tied to federal funding and earlier construction agreements; those obligations were described in committee testimony as continuing maintenance responsibilities.

The district also requested that a proposed line item of $480,000 for dam repairs remain in the appropriation so the district will have authority to address additional dam issues if DEQ or other regulators require work.

The presentation closed with the district asking for restoration of cut positions and removal of the appropriation restriction so the Flint Creek grant can be accessed. The committee did not take a vote during the hearing portion on this item and no formal committee action was recorded in the transcript.

Sources: presentation to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee 7, Harrison Waterway District representatives.