County seeks volunteer to serve on MLIRD board

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Commissioners are looking for a volunteer to fill out a vacancy in the board that oversees the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District following the resignation of board member Kaj Selman.

The successful volunteer must live and own property within the district and if appointed, will serve the remainder of Selman’s term, which ends in January 2024, the press release said.

According to Bill Bailey, chair of MLIRD board, Selman resigned in order to devote more time to working with and lobbying state legislators to clean up the current law that governs the MLIRD.

“It was a friendly resignation,” Bailey said. “He felt he could do more good by becoming our representative to work with legislators to clarify the law.”

The MLIRD has been the subject of a series of court cases launched by Moses Lake landowner Mick Hansen involving how the organization levies assessments on district property owners. The Washington State Court of Appeals recently upheld a decision from a Grant County Superior Court judge striking down the portion of the MLIRD’s assessment, saying the district cannot assess for irrigation since it has no way of distributing irrigation water.

Bailey said that for 2023, it will assess property owners within the district 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value — what the current law allows the MLIRD to levy for rehabilitation purposes. Established in 1962, the MLIRD is the only irrigation and rehabilitation district in the state and is the lead government agency responsible for maintaining the quality of lake water and the lake for recreation.

The MLIRD is also looking for candidates to run for election in late 2023, Bailey said. To run, candidates must both live in and own property in the district and present a petition with 10 signatures from MLIRD ratepayers, he explained. As an irrigation district, the MLIRD runs its own elections, complete with ballot boxes.

“It’s a pretty simple deal, really,” Bailey said.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.