House Bill 366 Summary

• Revises water district annual meeting requirements, allowing water users to choose between mail notice or newspaper/website publication, and permits changing the meeting date from the first Monday in March to any weekday between mid-January and late May.

• Consolidates budget and collection procedures into a single new Section 42-613, eliminating separate collection statutes and allowing three collection methods: county collection, direct watermaster/treasurer collection, or combinations thereof.

• Authorizes water districts to impose penalties up to 10% and interest at 1% monthly on unpaid assessments, and permits withholding or suspending water deliveries to users who fail to pay their pro rata share of district costs.

• Grants the Director of the Department of Water Resources authority to fix watermaster and water district treasurer compensation when not elected at annual meetings, and allows watermasters in districts with budgets under $7,500 to serve as treasurer.

• Repeals Sections 42-613, 42-615, 42-617, and 42-618 and makes technical amendments to watermaster reporting requirements and water distribution duties.