Who Should Pay to Bring Back the Lakes?

• The lake property owners certainly receive benefit and will need to pay an assessment, but should not have to pay for all

• The counties have acknowledged the benefit, and we are constructively working to understand their role in supporting the Four Lakes community, but FLTF also recognizes there are significant demands on the county budgets beyond the lakes. We do not expect the counties to make a decision any more than we expect the property owners to until after we present the overall plan in May
• The State of Michigan benefits and it has acknowledged this through allocations of funds to help recover from the dam failures and restore the lakes. Our elected representatives are aware and understand the need for more funds to reach a point where every lake can finance the construction to restore the dams and lakes
• The federal government has supported the recovery through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and has given FLTF a path for long-term financing. We believe they have an obligation to support us in restoration given the past federal control of these dams. That being said, there are no obvious large grants, but we are engaged with congressional delegates to find federal funds to help the community find a more affordable path to restore its future