The Cedar River Watershed District is set to host a public hearing tonight to set the district’s levy for next year.

The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. in the Jay. C. Hormel Nature Center’s Ruby Rupner Center.

According to Administrator Bev Nordby, the board of managers hasn’t yet decided whether or not to increase the levy.

The decision will likely be based on the programs and initiatives planned in the coming year.

“It depends on where they want to go and what they want to do,” Nordby said.

The CRWD has levy power and can set the levy without a public vote. The current levy is $250,000 and is dispersed over the watershed’s four county area, which includes Mower, Freeborn, Dodge and Steele counties.

While the CRWD relies heavily on grant funding, Nordby said the levy is the watershed’s only stable and guaranteed source of revenue. That revenue is an important tool in securing additional funding, she noted, because many grants require a match.

“$250,000 doesn’t go very far,” Nordby said. “The board is very conservative, but they want to get things done.”