Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
At $3 per acre and a minimum of $20, the Kosciusko County Drainage Board Thursday unanimously approved establishing a maintenance fund for the William Conrad Ditch.
The fund will generate $3,346.07 per year. There are 990.41 acres affected in the watershed. Twenty-four of the 61 tracts will pay the $20 minimum.
The drain is located south of CR 1250N, north of CR 1050N, west of CR 950W and east of CR 1100W, in Scott Township.
Dick Kemper, Kosciusko County surveyor, said part of the tile drain was built in 1904 and was called the Swank Ditch. In 1909, a petition by Conrad was filed to rebuild the ditch. There now are 11,000 feet to the main tile ditch and 3,700 feet of an arm of the drain. The ditch is experiencing problems, including flooding, and needs to be reconstructed.
However, after Kemper made the preliminary cost report for reconstruction of the drain, he found the tile ditch to be larger than he estimated and his estimates for a reconstruction too low. Cost for reconstruction could be as much as $160,000 to $200,000.
Alternatives with the property owners were discussed, Kemper said, and the focus became setting up a maintenance fund and chipping away at the ditch's problems, making upgrades where needed.
Kemper said he received two letters opposed to the fund.
As for the rate of $3 per acre, Kemper said that is the amount landowners came up with during discussions.
Kosciusko County has not maintained the Conrad Ditch to this point and landowners have taken care of all the repairs to it on their own.
During public comments, resident Howard Chupp said every time a problem comes up with the ditch, it's a job in itself to contact the many different landowners to raise money to fix the problem. The ditch has flooding problems and often breaks down. He said they're having a problem with the ditch because they really don't know what the problem is.
"The flooding definitely has gotten worse in the last 10 to 12 years," Chupp said. "... Everyone who has worked on it knows it's in bad shape."
He said he is in favor of the maintenance fund.
Edward Pippinger also spoke in favor of the maintenance fund, but he had a couple of questions. He wanted to make sure the money collected for the fund is only for the Conrad Ditch and if the problem is found and fixed, if the fund would stop collecting money.
Kemper said the money definitely only can be used for the Conrad Ditch. And if the fund ever collects a four-year balance, the fund stops collecting monies that year.
Pippinger then said he thought the $20 minimum was too low. As the board advertised only a $20 minimum, Kemper said, the board at that meeting could not raise it anymore, they could lower it.
Also in favor of a higher minimum was Junior Anderson.
Kemper said the drainage board could raise the rate 25 percent one time without a public hearing, if they chose to do so at a later date.
Collection for the William Conrad Ditch maintenance fund will begin with this year's spring tax collection.
Members of the drainage board are chairman Ron Truex, Donald Goon, Dorris Harrold, Maurice McDaniel and Eldon Watkins. They meet at 9 a.m. in the county courthouse, Warsaw, on the fourth Thursday of every month.
