We will be the first to say that we support our lakes. We support efforts to clean the lakes, and we support efforts to attracting people from both in and outside of our community to enjoy them.

Because of these goals, the editorial board over the years has written editorials in favor of renewing the local option sales tax — money that goes toward water improvements and ultimately toward dredging the lake.

While those opinions have not changed — we do have concern with action taken this week by this area’s caretakers of our lakes: the Shell Rock River Watershed District Board of Managers.

The Watershed Board on Tuesday approved a preliminary $1 million project levy, along with the preliminary option for $3 million in bonding. While this levy is not set in stone — the final vote will come in December — we are concerned with how quickly the issue came to a vote without much public notice or involvement.

The levy would increase annual taxes $37 on a residential homestead valued at $100,000, according to watershed officials. A $100,000 assessed home currently pays $9.14 for Watershed District operations.

Watershed District officials have said the project tax levy would cover a three- to four-month gap in the sales tax funding between when the current sales tax expires around September 2017 and when the sales tax could be renewed.

Though there may have been a mention of this issue — and how to address other funding tools — in the past, it wasn’t until last week when the agenda for the board was sent out that it became clear that the issue would be voted on Tuesday.

We have heard from other local government officials who were as shocked as we were to hear it come up.   

With something as large as a levy, we ask that watershed leaders be more diligent about notifying and educating the public well in advance. Transparency is key.

Whether we agree or disagree with the levy is not the question we want to discuss today. We simply encourage more public dialogue so the public can make educated decisions and voice their feelings either way.

We encourage members of the public in turn to take time to educate themselves about what the district’s board is considering and to let the board members know between now and the final December vote what you think.

This levy can be lowered — or even eliminated — in the final vote, but it cannot go any higher, per state law.