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For the fourth time in two years, the Kosciusko County Drainage Board held a meeting Thursday on the reconstruction of the Walter Phillips Drain.
And for the fourth time, the issue was tabled. Not because there was anyone opposed to the reconstruction, but remonstrators disagreed over how much each property owner should pay.
The drain's watershed is more than 73 acres in Wayne Township. The proposed reconstruction is bordered by Winona Beach Drive and Country Club Road and includes Flagstone Terrace and Woodfield Estates subdivisions.
Eight Flagstone Terrace landowners petitioned for reconstruction. The project includes the installation of 300 feet of 15-inch N-12 pipe, 800 feet of 18-inch N-12 pipe and 2,800 feet of 24-inch N-12 pipe. The pipe would be non-perforated to eliminate the possibility of tree roots obstructing the drain in the future.
Estimated cost of construction is $86,900.
Kosciusko County Surveyor Dick Kemper told the board all but two property owners in the Woodfield Estates subdivision sent letters of remonstration. An additional seven to eight landowners in Flagstone Terrace complained against it via letters.
Providing background on the drain to the board, Kemper said the original plan during the first hearing was to build a new drain and letting the water flow into Winona Lake. Rates were set based on a property's proximity to the drain. The first hearing was continued and the route and plan for the reconstruction was changed to redirect the reconstruction away from the residents north of Winona Beach Drive who were not affected. With the change, however, the rates went up and less people were affected.
At the next hearings, Kemper said, three different rates were established but the reconstruction project was continued again. The proposal for Thursday's hearing included an equal rate of $1,174.71 per household.
Carol Savage said she was in favor of the project because there's a "big mess" on the roads when it rains and the water stays in place forever. In winter, it is all ice.
"It just doesn't go away for a long, long time," she said.
Brad Bibler said the water is a safety concern for him because of his children. In winter, it's icy and not safe for school buses. In the warmer months, the standing water attracts insects.
A Woodfield Estates woman said she wasn't opposed to the reconstruction, she just wanted to know why the rates were changed.
Kemper replied that the people who would have paid the higher rates for the project remonstrated, so the board changed it to make it as fair as possible "across the board." Any rate the board decides, he said, will make someone unhappy.
Board chairman Ron Truex said the board's duty is to weight the benefits of the project versus the costs and make their decision based on that.
Jim Savage said the water affects his property but it is not their water, it comes from Woodfield Estates.
When taxes are involved, remonstrator Jerry Clevenger said, they're assessed based on value and the use people get from it.
"It would seem to me the allocation of expense would be who benefits the most from this drain," he said. He said it seemed unfair to him to have to pay the same amount of taxes as someone who owns more property than he does.
Ron Snyder also said he was against the rates. In the first proposed rates, he would have been assessed $200. The second time around, $265. Now, the board is asking him to pay nearly $1,200.
"Twelve hundred dollars is a little much," he said.
Asked how many people are affected by the project, Drainage Board Secretary Sue Gladieux said there are 74 households involved, 122 parcels.
Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson said one of the benefits of the project is there will be drainage for the roads. Flagstone Terrace is one of the subdivisions the highway department has on their list of subdivisions with roads to pave, but they can't do that until the drainage problem is solved. The county highway department is also assessed a rate for the project.
After some discussion, Truex said it seems to be a consensus everyone is in favor of the reconstruction, but the rates were in question. The board voted to continue the hearing until April 24.
"We're going to take one last look at the benefits you will all receive," he said.
If the project and rates are approved at the April meeting, the earliest the project will begin, said Kemper, is in June.
Truex said Thursday's meeting was his first time serving on the board and he's already decided, "no one is going to be happy with their rate."
In another matter, the board accepted a private tile drain as a regulated county drain. The private drain is in Clay Township near the intersection of McGee Road and CR 450S. It is approximately 2,200 feet long, and is an arm of the Walnut Creek drain. The drain was put into place years ago but is now in bad condition.
Due to the poor drainage in the area, CR 450S is often flooded. Ladson said the highway department is in favor of the drainage problem being fixed because the road flooding can be dangerous.
Landowners petitioned the county to accept it as a regulated county drain. The next step for the drain is for a hearing to be held on its reconstruction.
Members of the drainage board are chairman Ron Truex, Donald Goon, Dorris Harrold, Maurice McDaniel and Eldon Watkins. They meet at 9 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month in the county courthouse, Warsaw.
