The Richland County Board of Commissioners voted to approve an agreement with the City of Shelby and the Soil and Water Conservation District to remove Class C and D log jams and clear portions of the Black Fork in unincorporated areas that contribute to flooding in Shelby.

Commissioner remarks noted a long history of flooding in Shelby and previous proposals, including dry dams and a ditch petition, that did not move forward. County staff member Cliff summarized the county's work with the city and soil-and-water staff, saying the county could fund the work from the general fund and that the cleanup would not remove every blockage but would "do a major job in cleaning it out and improving the flow and reducing quite a bit of the flooding," according to the meeting record.

Cliff said the county received the original petition from the City of Shelby in 2021 and that legal costs, drone footage and mailing expenses were incurred during review. The county presented an agreement under which Shelby would perform the on-the-ground removal inside unincorporated sections of the Black Fork and the county would provide payment under the contract.

The draft agreement submitted to the board included a numeric amount written in the transcript as "$46.04 $9.05"; the transcript appears to garble the figure and an exact dollar amount was not clearly stated on the record.

Commissioners voted to approve the agreement. Supporters said the work is likely to reduce local flooding and that Shelby would continue to manage the river within municipal limits; the county's contribution would be limited to the unincorporated portion covered by the agreement.

The meeting record did not specify a timetable for work or a breakdown of specific tasks the city would perform; commissioners thanked staff for the research and coordination with Shelby.