Howard County continues public hearing on proposed assessment increase for John Galbraith regulated drain after lengthy resident testimony

The Howard County Drainage Board on Oct. 6 heard more than two hours of testimony and technical explanation on a proposed assessment increase for the John Galbraith regulated drain watershed, then voted to continue the public hearing to Nov. 3 after board discussion and public comment.

Paul (staff) described the John Galbraith drainas a regulated system in Harrison Township that begins as tile in agricultural fields west of Dixon Road, runs roughly 2,000 feet, crosses Dixon and outlets through Cotswold Hills to State Road 26, then into Walnut Estates, the Wildcat Creek Golf Course and ultimately West Fork Little Wildcat Creek. The watershed covers 332.79 acres and 129 parcels, the speaker said; the drain was first made a court drain in 1912, and the first assessment was set in 1975 and collected in 1976.

Paul said the drain has seen repeated maintenance needs and recent failures: tiles collapsed beneath Dixon Road in 2024 and heavy rains in June 2025 caused erosion at multiple locations. The drain currently carries a debt of $16,164.98, and the present assessment rates were described in the hearing as $1,978 per acre with a $10 minimum, yielding about $1,826.56 per year in collections for the drain.

Under the proposal HCDB 25-06, the board would temporarily increase collections to generate about $50,000 in the first year and approximately $150,000 over three years (the…