Conservation district deserves support
October 27, 2011
Sometimes there can be a risk in being quietly effective.
"Most people don't have a clue who we are," Jim Kiracofe, administrator of the Licking County Soil and Water Conservation District, recently said to The Advocate editorial board. He added, "Yet what we do really impacts the quality of life."
Kiracofe came before the editorial board to seek an endorsement for Issue 20, the district's one-tenth of a mill, five-year levy that appears on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Simply put, the stated mission of the Soil and Water Conservation District is to promote conservation of natural resources through local leadership, education and assistance."
The district works toward that goal by focusing on four key areas:
» Water conservation, reduction of water pollution, management of stormwater runoff and improved drainage;
» Working to maintain a healthy and diverse environment (soil, water, air, plants and animals);
» Promoting best management practices for local farmers;
» Maintaining key partnerships to bring programs and funding into Licking County that help conserve local natural resources.
Like many local and county agencies, the district has struggled lately to do more with less in the face of reduced county and state funding. The district has made significant cuts, implemented furloughs and reduced staff.
To help maintain operations, the district is seeking passage of what it terms a "very conservative" levy.
As Kiracofe put it, if passed, over the course of a year, the average homeowner would pay "about the same amount they would to buy a bottled water at a Buckeyes game."
If the levy is approved, the owner of a property valued at $100,000 would pay just $3.06 per year, or less than a penny per day.
The levy would raise $370,270.
This is indeed a modest funding request from an important if under-sung county agency that protects the quality of water and food sources for all Licking County residents.
The Advocate urges voters to cast a "yes" vote for Issue 20 on Nov. 8.
