Q.What does BLDMD stand for? A. BLDMD stands for Boone Lake Dam Management District. The BLDMD was created after a catastrophic dam failure. When residents could not gather enough donations to fix the dam, they asked the Town of Exeter to recognize Boone Lake as a separate tax district within the town so that a reserve of funds could be saved for any future incidents.
Q. What does the BLDMD do? A. The volunteer board members are voted in for 2-year terms and focus on the collection of taxes and the management, maintenance, and repair of the BLDMD properties; the dam, spillway, lake access points, beach, gatehouse, and clubhouse. There is a Clerk, Assessor/Collector, Gatekeeper, Chairperson, Treasurer, and 3 Members at Large.
Q. When and where are the BLDMD Meetings held? A. There are 4 quarterly meetings. See the home page for a list of meeting dates and locations.
Q. Why do I have to pay extra taxes to live on Boone Lake? A. The Boone Lake tax district was created to ensure that there are funds to maintain and repair the dam in case of dam failure. In the past repairs depended entirely on donations which were not sufficient and resulted in sustained water loss for residents.
Q. How are the taxes calculated? A. As stated in the Town of Exeter Ordinance,"The amount due with respect to any parcel shall be determined by multiplying that parcel's relative weighted value by the amount of the budget, as approved." The term "weighted" is explained as such, "The relative weighted value shall, for any parcel, be equal to the quotient resulting from dividing the assessed value of that parcel, as established by the town assessors' office for general tax purposes, by the assessed values of all parcels, as so established, situated within the limits of the management district" (BLDMD Ordinance, Sec. 42-195).
Q. What happens if I don't pay my BLDMD taxes? A. If you do not pay your taxes, you will be notified. If after collection attempts you continue to not pay your taxes, a lien will be placed on your property and filed with the Town of Exeter. "Collection and enforcement of the liens securing amounts due for management fees shall be in the same manner as provided for the collection of taxes by municipalities in this state, or as may otherwise or hereafter be permitted or established by law". (BLDMD Constitution, Sec. 42-195).
Q. Why aren't BLDMD meetings hybrid (in-person AND online)? Wouldn't that increase the ability for residents to participate? A. At this time, the BLDMD does not have by-laws/approved procedures on how to run hybrid meetings, nor do they have the equipment. However, this has been a topic of discussion and may become a possibility in the future.
Q. Who gets to vote at meetings? A. Each separate parcel of land gets one vote. So if you have more than one parcel, you have more than one vote.
Q. What are the big rectangle things in many of the yards on the lake side of the road? A. Those large rectangles filled with gravel are Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS) and they help reduce the likelihood of lakewater contamination. The RI Department of Environmental Management requires these for homes on the lake side of the road if;
It is a new build.
A old property is purchased by a new owner.
An old property's existing system fails.
Q. How can I get involved with the BLDMD? A. If you are interested in getting involved with the BLDMD, either by becoming part of the board or donating time to work on the public spaces, please contact us at boonelakeri@gmail.com.
Q. What is the best way to get in touch with the BLDMD? A. Email us at www.boonelakeri@gmail.com
Q. Is the Boone Lake RI Facebook Group a good way to get in touch with the BLDMD? A. No. The Boone Lake RI Facebook Group was created by residents and is run by residents specifically for Boone Lake residents to communicate with one another. It is not a forum that the BLDMD uses for communication or dissemination of information for a multitude of reasons.
Q. Is there a social media site that the BLDMD does use? A. Yes. We have recently created the Boone Lake Dam Management District Exeter RI Facebook Page that we use to disseminate useful information. Click HERE to follow.
Q. Why does the BLDMD only communicate through email or snail mail and not on social media? A. The BLDMD Board must keep records of communications which is easiest to do via email and snail mail.
Are there any questions that you have that aren't already listed above? If so, please contact us at boonelakeri@gmail.com.