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City Of Orleans Assisting In Eurasian Watermilfoil Fight

September 28, 2022 Steve Schwaller

(Orleans)– The city of Orleans is joining the battle against eurasian watermilfoil on the Iowa Great Lakes. The city council Monday approved a proposal that will allow the city to serve as a pass through for funds to purchase herbicide that will be used to treat the weed. Councilman Terry Wilts, who also serves on the board of directors of the East Okoboji Lakes Improvement Corporation, says having the city serve as a pass through for funds would allow them to make the purchase without having to pay sales tax…

“If we do it through the city we can avoid that sales tax purchase. The city wouldn’t be spending any money, it’s just facilitating a purchase that could be made using the circumstances of no sales taxes. We would reimburse the city prior to, we’re going to ask the city to pay the bill and we’ll get square then with the city through pledges that have been made, about half of which is made through the county and the rest of it would be paid from the organization which we spoke of.”

Mayor Bill Maas says he had some trepidation about that at first, but he says he’s changed his thinking…

“I thought, you know, we’re trying to cheat the state out of $9,000 but on the other hand we’re putting it into the state, through the state waters and stuff. My conscious quit then.”

The council voted unanimously in favor of the proposal. Eurasian watermilfoil has been confirmed in areas of East Lake Okoboji, Upper and Lower Gar and Lake Minnewashta.

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