Minnesota Session Laws - 1985, Regular Session

  

                         Laws of Minnesota 1985 

                         CHAPTER 67-H.F.No. 565 
           An act relating to soil and water conservation; 
          changing powers and duties of the state board; 
          amending Minnesota Statutes 1984, section 40.03, 
          subdivision 4. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1984, section 40.03, 
subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 4.  [POWERS AND DUTIES.] In addition to the powers 
and duties hereinafter conferred upon the state soil and water 
conservation board, it shall have the following powers and 
duties: 
    (1) Prepare and present to the commissioner of agriculture 
a budget to finance the activities of the state board and the 
districts and to administer any law appropriating funds to 
districts.  The board shall receive and disburse any grants made 
available to the state by the United States department of 
agriculture under the preferred program developed under United 
States Code, title 16, sections 2001 to 2009; 
    (2) Offer any appropriate assistance to the supervisors of 
the districts in implementing any of their powers and programs.  
Any funds made available to a district for expenditures 
necessary for the operations of the district shall be a grant to 
the district to be used only for purposes authorized by the 
state board pursuant to law.  The soil and water conservation 
district may designate the board of county commissioners to act 
as the agent of the district to receive and expend these funds 
at the direction and with the approval of the board of 
supervisors of the district.  At least annually the state board 
shall audit, in a manner it prescribes, the expenditure of funds 
so granted; 
     (3) Keep the supervisors of each district informed of the 
activities and experience of all other districts and facilitate 
cooperation and an interchange of advice and experience among 
the districts; 
     (4) Coordinate the programs and activities of the districts 
with appropriate agencies by advice and consultation; 
     (5) Approve or disapprove the plans or programs of 
districts relating to the use of state funds administered by the 
state board; 
     (6) Secure the cooperation and assistance of the 
appropriate agencies in the work of the districts and to develop 
a program to advise and assist appropriate agencies in obtaining 
state and federal funds for erosion, sedimentation, flooding and 
agriculturally related pollution control programs; 
     (7) Develop and implement a comprehensive public 
information program concerning the districts' activities and 
programs, the problems and preventive practices of erosion, 
sedimentation, agriculturally related pollution, flood 
prevention, and the advantages of formation of districts in 
areas where their organization is desirable; 
     (8) Subdivide and consolidate districts without a hearing 
or a referendum so as to confine districts within county limits, 
provided that no district, when feasible and practicable, shall 
contain less than four full or fractional congressional 
townships; 
     (9) Assist in the implementation of a statewide program for 
inventorying and classification of the types of soils throughout 
the state as determined by the Minnesota cooperative soil survey;
    (10) Identify research needs and cooperate with other 
public agencies in research concerning the nature and extent of 
erosion, sedimentation, flooding and agriculturally related 
pollution, the amounts and sources of sediment and pollutants 
delivered to the waters of the state, and long term soil 
productivity; 
    (11) Develop programs to reduce or prevent soil erosion, 
sedimentation, flooding and agriculturally related pollution, 
including but not limited to structural and land-use management 
practices; 
    (12) Develop a system of priorities within the state to 
identify the erosion, flooding, sediment and agriculturally 
related pollution problem areas that are most severely in need 
of control systems; and 
    (13) Ensure compliance with statewide programs and policies 
established by the state board pursuant to this section and 
section 40.02 by advice, consultation, and approval 
of cost-sharing contracts grant agreements with the districts. 
    Approved May 6, 1985