Disruption at Tenmile Lakes Watershed Council

Mader at Watershed BBQ

Mike Mader, gave his usual monthly department head report on the Tenmile Watershed at the regularly scheduled  September city council meeting.

This was the calm after the storm. There was no hint from him in his report of the tumultuous Watershed meeting that had taken place on the Tuesday before.

Mattie Lane, at the city council meeting under citizen input, made a plea for the people to be aware of the significant monetary contribution that comes to the city from the Tenmile Lakes Watershed Council.

When Lakesideinfo.com questioned Lane as to why she made the appeal, she responded that she was “disturbed about the Tuesday Watershed meeting.”

According to what she had been told, Chairman Dean Wilder, of the Tenmile Lakes Watershed Council,  wanted the Watershed to severe it’s ties with the City of Lakeside.

Lane has been familiarizing herself with the Lakeside city budget and knew that last year alone “the city received $69,000″ from the watershed. Mike Mader has done a “fantastic job at getting grants.” The city receives 10% for serving as the fiscal agent, supplying office space, and storage area.

Lane went on to say, ” We need to do everything possible to keep the watershed and the city associated and continue with the good working relationship that they now enjoy. The city could go bankrupt without it.”

Ranked among the top TEN excellent rated watersheds in the State. Ranked number ONE in doing projects on private land to help fishing and water quality

Tenmile Lakes Watershed under the leadership of coordinator Mike Mader, is ranked in the top ten watersheds in the state out of approximately 60 watershed councils. This is the first year since 2003 that Mader hasn’t received grant restoration money in his first attempt for the year.

Grant applications are up significantly over past years. He was recommended for funding, meaning that he will resubmit October 19th and apply for a DEQ grant in November ’09. In these bad economic times more than the usual number of grants are being applied for, so they are not given as readily as they once were.

Mader is very hopeful that the grants will come through and work will commence again in July 2010. No real impact will be felt to the upcoming work schedule, “so game is still on.”

Mader has received the first ever Army Corp of Engineers permit allowing 138 bridges to be built within the watershed in the next five years. Thanks to Mader and others working with him Lakeside has received this unprecedented nationwide restoration permit. That happens to be the hard part, “after that the grants are the easy part.”

Chairman Dean Wilder, goes on attack

City councilor Mack Eubanks, the watershed liaison, was at the Watershed meeting. His own feeling was that Dean Wilder had attempted to severe ties with the City of Lakeside and “pushed Mike Mader hard hoping he would resign.” Three board members Tom Hoesley, Gary Wallace, and Jim McCarty were also there.

This took place according to Watershed coordinator, Mike Mader, at the “so called executive council and special meeting.” There were no minutes taken at the meeting and there had been no posting of the meeting for the public.

Lakesideinfo.com spoke with Dean Wilder asking for comment and was told that, “when I get the answers, I will say something.”

Mike Mader was asked if he knew why he was “attacked” at the watershed meeting. His reply was , “not sure.” Wilder, yelled and waved around a paper that was supposed to be something from the city, but when asked, “if he could have a copy,” a copy wasn’t given, and he didn’t even get a good look at the one being waved.

The letter was purported to be signed by City Administrator Charlie Hill, on city letterhead reprimanding two Tenmile watershed employees. When inquiry was made of Hill about the letter, she stated,  “a letter of reprimand would be a personnel issue and not available to the public.”

Chairman Wilder , “harassed, finger pointed, and called me a liar,” he made wild accusations in what Mader, believes, “was an attempt to make me resign.”

Mader was confused by the the anger from Wilder and the three board members. They also had his grant report that had only been given to the city council members and the Mayor to be placed in their meeting packets.

Who provided Dean Wilder  a copy two days before the city council meeting when it normally would have been made public, and who gave him the “letter?” Mader queries.

City has authority over Tenmile Lakes Watershed Council

Resolution 94-3 Established a Tenmile Lakes Watershed Council adopted by the Lakeside city council at the regular meeting held on January 13, 1994.

Mader believes, that the resolution gives the city council oversight of the watershed. The general guidelines in the resolution are quite clear and were broken when the chairman and three members “went on the attack.”

Lakesideinfo.com also made a public records request and obtained a copy of city council minutes surrounding Resolution 94-3, hoping to give more clarification on oversight of the Watershed Council.

The organizational structure designates the city of Lakeside as the treasurer. Chairman (Wilder) serves at the pleasure of the watershed board. The secretary is the watershed coordinator.

When asked what Mader’s next step will be, he said that, ” the City is reviewing resolution 94-3 to determine if the members were out of compliance with the duties and responsibilities of the watershed council.

Mader thinks that the Chairman and three board members are in violation of four of the items under duties and responsibilities:

• Foster communication and cooperation among all interests within a watershed

• Provide a forum for conflict resolution and decision-making

• Ensure a high level of citizen involvement in all aspects of decision-making

• Conduct all meetings as open public meetings

We will be following the story…………….