(A) At least once every five years the board of directors of each watershed conservation district shall establish an operating budget for the purposes of the district. The budget must be established only after the board provides due notice of and conducts a public hearing at which all residents of the watershed conservation district and owners of land lying in the district have an opportunity to be heard concerning the proposed budget. After the hearing the operating budget must be set by the board of directors after it is approved by the board of commissioners of the soil and water conservation district. The annual itemized budget prepared by the watershed conservation district board according to subsection (B) may not exceed the most recently established operating budget.

(B) Within the first quarter of each calendar year the board of directors of the watershed conservation district shall prepare an itemized budget of the funds needed during the upcoming fiscal year for costs and expenses of organizing the district, for administration of the district, and for carrying out an authorized purpose, power, or duty of the district, including construction, operation, and maintenance of works of improvement. The budget must be approved by the board of commissioners of the soil and water conservation district. A surplus or deficit in a fiscal year must be carried forward and applied to the next fiscal year's account and calculated into the budget for that year.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 63-183; 1967 (55) 1158; 1992 Act No. 408, Section 1.