The Grant County drainage board voted to increase the annual assessment for the Bar/Ira Hudson watershed to $10 per acre and $10 per home site, with an eight-year collection period, after a public hearing and discussion of maintenance needs and projected costs.

Board members said the change is intended to rebuild a nearly depleted fund used for brush removal, log-jam clearing and limited dredging. The board estimated the increase would raise about $15,355.66 a year from the watershed, compared with roughly $1,100 a year under the previous rate.

Supporters on the board argued the existing fund balance was insufficient to pay for needed work. “I would move to approve the scheduled assessments and the proposed assessment as presented,” said Jared (board member), who moved the measure. Dan (board member) seconded the motion; the board voted to approve.

Landowners who spoke during public comment said the ditch has not overflowed at several properties but that sections have gone long periods without clearing. Jerry Soles, a property owner, told the board the east-side ditch on his land "has not been touched for the 38 years we've lived out there" and said he worried about runoff if neighboring counties add large solar facilities. "I don't want contaminated water coming from Blackford County because they've decided to go solar," Soles said.

Another resident, Harry Pearson, asked how the assessment translates to individual landowners; board members confirmed the change would move most parcels from the old $1-per-acre level to $10 per acre and $10 for a home site. Board staff and members discussed the watershed size, citing a total watershed area of about 1,512 acres and an affected parcel piece of roughly 43.8 acres (about 2.9% of the watershed). Those figures were used to calculate the projected annual revenue.

Board members and staff also described historical maintenance and cost estimates. Past emergency work to remove a large log jam cost about $6,000 and nearly exhausted the fund; recent quotes and crew-cost estimates discussed during the meeting put rough unit costs at about $2 per foot for dredging and about $6 per foot for brushing in minimally wooded stretches. One total estimate cited during discussion for doing the entire reach was about $190,000; at the newly approved assessment rate board members said completing all recommended work could take multiple years unless additional funding is secured.

Several residents raised procedural concerns about notice and objection procedures. The public was told the hearing had been advertised and mailed to roughly 50 owners in the watershed; board staff said only a single written, timely objection had been filed before the hearing, though a petition with multiple signatures had also been presented to the board. Board members explained that a written objection filed before the hearing is required to preserve the right to judicial review of the assessment process.

Board members said increments of collected funds can be used for discrete maintenance actions as money becomes available — for example, clearing specific log jams or limited dredging — rather than waiting until all funds for a full reconstruction are raised. The board recommended that owners could expect smaller projects sooner and that a complete, end-to-end dredging project would require multiple years of collection at the new rate.

The board approved the assessment change in a voice vote after discussion and public comment. The board also set the collection period associated with the assessment at eight years and specified a $10 minimum assessment where applicable.

The meeting record includes requests from residents for clearer notice and for improved audio at hearings; several speakers said they had difficulty hearing proceedings and asked the board to clarify how future hearings and objection instructions would be posted.

The drainage board adjourned after the vote.