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BOOK 94 PA. LL 7 0 permission to locate the fiber optic cable in the District's right- of-way, he was informed there would be a charge, just as the City of Vero Beach is also charged. Apparently, the contractor did not bring the charge to the County's attention. The second issue is use of the District's right-of-way for location of capital structures. These permits are on an annual, renewable basis, with probably thousands of permits in hundreds of miles of right-of-way. Most of the lands used to be agricultural but are now becoming urbanized and the demand has increased so that the District is under constant pressure. The District drains 50,000 acres of land into the lagoon and is under pressure to retain more and more water. It is likely that the District's canals and ditches will have to be deepened and widened to increase the holding capacity to impound the water before being discharged, which creates a very real possibility that all utilities belonging to everyone will have to be relocated. This is the basic explanation for why the permits are terminable and renewable every year. Mr. O'Haire understood the reluctance to place capital improvements in such a temporary area; however, the Board should look at the cost of acquiring a right-of-way to locate the utilities and then weigh that against the risk of having to relocate. The charge is not a profit for the District and amounts to only $27,000-28,000 in a 7 -figure budget. Mr. O'Haire then introduced David Gunter, president of the Board of Supervisors of IRFWCD, and advised that they are both here to answer any questions the Board might have. Commissioner Eggert explained that the fee had been perceived as a maintenance charge rather than an annual usage fee, and Mr. O'Haire responded that, in the case of overhead power lines, there are maintenance charges. Commissioner Adams believed the problem came about because the contractor had not disclosed the fee to the County at the time of the contract. She felt the District should have wanted the County to assume some responsibility for fees and put it in writing at the time of the original agreement. Mr. O'Haire felt that the person applying for the permit is told what the conditions are and if that person neglects to inform the other party to the agreement, that would not be the fault of the District. David Gunter, chairman of the Board of Supervisors of IRFWCD, advised the Board that the permit had been signed by General APRIL, 49 1995 22