Lake County Water Authority trustees back tentative budget and hold millage steady at 0.294 mills

Bobby Benilla, executive director for Parks and Water Resources, presented the Lake County Water Authority's update and tentative fiscal‑year priorities to the Board of County Commissioners on June 10, describing program changes after the authority’s governance transition and a trustees’ recommendation to keep the millage unchanged.

Why it matters: the trustees have repositioned the Water Authority’s mission to include water quality laboratory work and aquatic plant management — programs previously housed in other county departments. Benilla said the move created an in‑house capability that has already generated operating savings by handling tree removal, navigation marker replacement and aquatic plant work internally rather than outsourcing.

Key points from the presentation: trustees reviewed an inventory of water‑related properties and resources, reported Hickory Point improvements and grant activity, and outlined multi‑year projects including a nutrient‑reduction master plan for the Nerve property (the presentation said the trustees were exploring a multi‑cell wetland/pond approach intended to reduce alum use). Benilla told commissioners that the trustees unanimously supported two requested positions — a field technician and a content coordinator — to support expanded operations and public outreach. He said the trustees voted to keep the millage at 0.294 mills, unchanged from FY25.

Budget figures and process: Benilla reported that trustees recommended a tentative budget figure in their May 21 meeting and that the board voted to hold the millage at 0.294 mills. The presentation referenced a tentative budget figure in the packet materials; the transcripted wording of the total contained a formatting ambiguity and did not present a single, clearly readable total in the record. Commissioners were shown projected taxable‑value numbers from the property appraiser as part of the Water Authority’s budget summary and told that reimbursements for prior grant projects (including Hickory Point) were expected to return funds to the authority after state and federal processing.

Programmatic changes and policy: Benilla said the authority had taken on emergency‑response coordination at the EOC and had used Water Authority resources to get FEMA and Army Corps engagement during Hurricane Milton repairs — work he said avoided more than $1 million in local costs by securing federal in‑kind services. He described a revised stormwater‑grant policy: municipalities receiving Water Authority grants will be expected to be shovel‑ready and complete projects within 12 months, with trustee review for extenuating circumstances.

Commissioner exchange: commissioners thanked staff for the reorganization and pressed on specific items: whether municipalities can request additional marine patrol funding (Benilla said the trustees reduced some city allocations based on historical spending), the timeline and permitting for the Nerve master plan, and how aquatic plant management and lab operations would be coordinated with parks and trails. Commissioner Smith praised the transition and the trustees’ oversight; other commissioners sought additional detail on intergovernmental grant conditions.

Ending note: the Water Authority’s trustees recommended the tentative budget and millage; commissioners asked staff for follow‑up details and cost breakdowns on specific asks such as patrol boats and Nerve project economics.