The Grant County Drainage Board approved several maintenance payments, set assessment rates and a hearing date for two drains, and voted to remove trees and place riprap at eroding ditch sites during its meeting.

Board action and context: The board voted to approve routine claims drawn against multiple ditch funds and to pay a set of right-of-way and maintenance invoices. The meeting record shows multiple fund balances and line-item claims read into the record before the board voted to pay them by voice vote. During the meeting board members discussed recent work by contractors (referred to as Extreme Excavating and others) and acknowledged the work completed on the Thompson Branch at Monroe and on parts of Luga/Lugar Creek.

Rates and public hearing: The board reviewed proposed assessment rates for two drains listed as “Stovey” and a parallel drain described as the “Climber/Climber Coleman” (transcript spelling varies). After discussion about minimums and consistency across the two drains, the board settled on a proposed schedule cited in the meeting as: $10 minimum, $50 per acre, $200 per home site, $100 per partial parcel, and $400 for commercial parcels (transcript shows some back-and-forth on the commercial rate before finalizing the motion). The board voted to adopt those rates as presented and to set a public hearing; the board set the public meeting to occur at the conclusion of the regular session (dated in the record as November 25 in the board’s motion and subsequent confirmation).

Tree removal and related maintenance authority: The board considered an update and an estimate for the Cleopas and Haines drain, where jetting revealed trees and roots intruding into tile and open ditch lines. The surveyor reported a contractor estimate of $3,800 to remove two specific trees, grind stumps, haul off wood and restore the holes with dirt and seed. The board voted to approve spending $3,800 for the tree removal; the motion passed by voice vote.

Riprap and erosion work on Thompson/Lugar Creek: Board members reviewed a contractor report and maps showing washouts and bank erosion along Thompson Branch and Lugar Creek. The surveyor recommended riprap at key collection and outfall points. The board approved up to $2,500 to place riprap at spots on Thompson Ditch deemed necessary by the surveyor; that motion passed by voice vote with the surveyor to identify the exact locations.

Maintenance updates and preventive maintenance discussion: Several ditches were discussed in detail, including Bellevue, Isaiah Wall/Lugar Creek, Monroe Branch at Lugar, Webster (State Road 18/Pennsylvania Ave), Maddox Ditch, and others. The board heard that jetting and mini-excavation work opened multiple blockages this season but that root regrowth and buried tile, combined with limited fund balances for some ditches, make recurring maintenance likely. Board members discussed preventive, scheduled jetting (annual or multi-year rotations) and options such as copper sulfate application to slow root encroachment; contractors estimated preventive jetting at roughly $900–$1,200 per 1,000 feet in difficult lines, and board discussion explored raising assessment rates where funds were insufficient to cover recurring work.

Budget context: The meeting record includes reported fund balances for several ditches (examples cited during the meeting: Cleopas & Haines fund $24,640.07; Thompson/Lugar Creek fund about $96,272.74; Bellevue fund about $6,060.87; other funds and claims were read aloud with specific dollar amounts for contractors and maintenance). Board members noted that some ditches draw money quickly when emergency work is required and discussed options to raise rates or change minimums to build reserve funds for preventive maintenance.

Other procedural items: The board approved minutes and moved through other routine agenda items including a discussion of the Webster tile location and property ownership questions for parcels near State Road 18 and Pennsylvania Avenue. The board asked staff to prepare formal quote letters for projects the board agreed to pursue and to put those quotes on drainage-board letterhead for distribution and formal receipt.

Votes at a glance: The meeting record shows these formal outcomes (motions are paraphrased from the transcript):
- Approve meeting minutes (motion moved by Board Member 6; seconded by Board Member 2). Outcome: approved by voice vote.
- Approve payment of listed claims and right-of-way invoices (motion moved and seconded in the meeting). Outcome: approved by voice vote; several members were recorded as abstaining on specific claims where required (the transcript notes at least one abstention by a board member on particular claims).
- Adopt assessment rates for Stovey and the Climber/Climber Coleman drains as presented (minimum $10; $50/acre; $200/home site; $100/partial parcel; $400/commercial) and set public hearing at the conclusion of the regular session on November 25. Outcome: motion approved by voice vote.
- Authorize $3,800 to remove two trees, grind stumps, haul wood and seed impacted areas on Cleopas and Haines (estimate provided by contractor). Outcome: motion approved by voice vote.
- Authorize up to $2,500 for riprap at specified erosion locations on Thompson Ditch, to be placed where deemed necessary by the surveyor. Outcome: motion approved by voice vote.

Why it matters: Several ditches discussed drain residential neighborhoods and farmland; repeated root encroachment and sedimentation have led to emergency repairs and recurring costs. The board’s rate and hearing actions will determine how much property owners are assessed for future maintenance, and the approved tree removal and riprap work aim to reduce recurring blockages and localized flooding in the near term.

What’s next: Surveyor/staff will prepare formal bid/quote paperwork on drainage-board letterhead for identified projects and provide cost estimates where the board requested additional pricing (notably for replacing north–south tile runs and for partial vs. full-line replacement options). The board scheduled public notice and a hearing on the new rates; staff will circulate notices as required by the drainage-board procedures discussed in the meeting.