SCID objects to story

The Nugget received correspondence from Squaw Creek Irrigation District (SCID) Manager Marc Thalacker regarding our stories on the SCID budget published February 9.

Thalacker said The Nugget incorrectly reported that SCID paid $11,000 defending two law suits in 1999. He is correct. SCID paid $9553.74 in defending against the two lawsuits, with another $1,600 spent on other legal expenses.

The Nugget also reported that the district had approved a $250,000 operating budget.

"You printed that the district approved an operating budget for $250,000 and a capital expense budget for $120,000. Combined that adds up to $370,000. The district's postion is that is not true. The board approved an operating budget for $199,484. And a capital expense budget for $120,584, combined that adds up to $320,068...please print a correction," Thalacker wrote.

It is true that SCID approved an operating budget that had $199,484 in expenses and a capital budget with $120, 584 in expenses, for a total of $320,068 in expenses.

However, the district anticipates operating budget income will be $249,250, which we rounded up to $250,000, and a capital budget income (from reembursements) of $51,951. This totals $301,201.

If all of the anticipated income is realized and all of the expenses incurred, the district would have a shortfall of $18,867.

However, Thalacker noted that some of the budgeted capital expenses are contingencies, and the district hopes to spend much less than budgeted, which could reduce the capital expense shortfall by as much as $60,000.

In fact, the district hopes total income will exceed total expenses so that there will be $30,000 to $50,000 surplus for the year. This would allow the district's "savings account," (money in the state investment pool) which stood at $45,826 on January 31, to continue to grow. Thalacker would like to see it reach about $100,000.

The SCID board will determine if this is enough to sustain the district through emergencies such as dam repair, or low water cycles like those that sapped their finances in the past.