Board backs Buffalo Red River Watershed petitions for local taxing authority to fund conservation projects

Christine Gaiden, administrator of the Buffalo Red River Watershed District, told the Clay County Board of Commissioners that the district is requesting two petitions under Minnesota Watershed Law, Minn. Stat. 103D.905, to permit local assessments for 2026. The district proposed a $550,000 assessment for watershed-wide programs (soil-health practices, conservation marketing, technical assistance, monitoring and permitting) and a $700,000 assessment for project design and construction, including projects such as Whiskey Creek and the Lower Otter Tail River restoration.

Gaiden said the two petitions, combined with other general assessments, would total about $12.71 per $100,000 of property market value. She told the board the overall assessment request is lower than last year due to successful grant awards that reduced local need.

Commissioners asked how the $700,000 would be applied to project costs and whether the district apportions local administrative assessments separately; Gaiden explained the design funds act as local support and leverage for state and federal grants and that administrative/management assessments are watershed-wide and do not require separate petitioning.

The board voted unanimously to approve resolution 2025-30 supporting the district27s assessment petition and later approved resolution 2025-31 supporting the second petition.

Why it matters: The petitions would give the watershed district local taxing authority to fund conservation planning, monitoring and restoration work that the district says benefits homes, farms and water quality across Clay County and other parts of the watershed.