LAKE ST. JOHN &8212; The residents of Lake St. John will soon have a much larger voice in how their lake is maintained, to the pleasure of residents and parish authorities alike.

An act passed during the 2005 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature formed the Lake St. John Recreation and Water Conservation District.

The district will oversee the operation and maintenance of the lake and have the power to levy taxes, receive state and federal grant money and incur debt toward that end.

&8220;This is a way for us to procure funds to continue projects from the past and move into the future,&8221; St. John Advisory Board chairman Tom Bell said.

The district will assume control of the level of the lake as well as the maintenance of the gauges and the control structure that serve this purpose.

It will also handle the details involving buoys, piers and new construction.

Until now, the above &8212; particularly the funding &8212; were all the responsibility of the police jury. Jury President Melvin Ferrington called the move a &8220;win-win for everybody.&8221;

&8220;It takes a big headache off of us. Where we have been providing money for the equipment, now they&8217;ll get grant money to do it. It&8217;ll save the parish some money.&8221;

And if there is no grant money to be had, the district has the power to assess its members or float bonds to raise money.

Any financial assessment &8212; or any other ordinance it makes &8212; must be approved by a majority in an election.

Only those who have houses on the lake and claim the house as their primary residence will be eligible to vote. Residents of the district will continue to pay the usual taxes to the parish and will continue to keep Ferriday addresses.

The district is set up similarly to those in other lakes around the state, including Lake Bruin and Black River Lake.

Tim Gregory, president of the Lake Bruin commission said the self-government has gone very well for them.

&8220;It&8217;s as simple as can be, very easy,&8221; he said. &8220;We make our own decisions and vote on them.&8221;

It&8217;s not all shrimp and grits, however. Gregory said the commission has twice tried to levy assessments in the amount of $25 per year for 10 years, and twice been voted down. Now that significant work needs to be done to the lake&8217;s control structure and buoys, Gregory said &8220;they wish they&8217;d voted for it.&8221;

Bell is confident the same thing won&8217;t happen to Lake St. John.

&8220;They (residents of Lake St. John) know what needs to be done and are willing to do what it takes.&8221;

The five commissioners who will lead the district will be appointed by the parish&8217;s legislative delegation of Rep. Bryant Hammett and Sen. Noble Ellington.

A list of nominees was submitted to the police jury at its last meeting; it will be winnowed down to 10 by the jury before Hammett and Ellington make the final cut.

The positions are unpaid and have four-year terms.

One of the commission&8217;s most important jobs is controlling the level of the lake to protect fish spawning grounds and aquatic plants.

Finding the right balance is the stuff doctoral theses are made of, but don&8217;t worry, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries keeps a close watch on all of the state&8217;s lakes, no matter which political body governs it.

Which is just fine with Bell.

&8220;We&8217;d never do anything to the lake without the input and blessing of the Wildlife and Fisheries,&8221; he said.

Ferrington thinks the group will do well governing the lake.

&8220;I think that once we get that board appointed, they&8217;ll hit the ground running,&8221; he said.