In December of 2017 the Chautauqua County Legislature passed Resolution #315-17 which established a Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency. Agency Board Membership was designated as 2 county legislators, 3 Town elected officials, 2 Village elected officials, 1 lake area property owner and 1 representative from Chautauqua Institution. The Agency was “tasked with making recommendations to the County Legislature regarding the formation of lake district(s) and other pertinent issues.” The Agency Board has met periodically since then and has been staffed by the County Planning Department. The Agency will be making a recommendation to the County Legislature about whether the Legislature should create a Lake District and if so how to configure and impower the District.
The below/attached survey has been developed at the Agency’s request to solicit public input regarding aspects of a District that the Agency Board has discussed to date.
The Chautauqua Lake Association Board has yet to render an opinion as to whether the creation of a District should move forward. The Board is waiting to learn of the specifics of any such Agency recommendation. In the meantime, the Board adopted Lake District Talking Points in 2019 which it believes are important for having a successful Lake District.
Successful Lake Districts are those whose Boards of Directors are comprised of:
- Representatives from political jurisdictions
- Representatives from the scientific community
- Representatives from lake stakeholder organizations
- Representatives from the At Large general public
- With none of the above constituencies possessing a majority of the board’s membership
Lake Management Funding sources should include:
- Lake District taxation along with:
- County General Fund and Occupancy Tax Revenue
- Lakeside Towns & Villages Revenue
- New York State Revenue
- User Fees
- Charitable Revenue
Tax revenue that is generated by the District must be sequestered in a dedicated fund, the disbursement categories from which are specified in the District’s enabling legislation and can only be utilized for Chautauqua Lake programs; excluding non-District county personnel and navigation patrol expense. (6/19/2019)
