The Morton County Drainage Board voted to approve maintenance specifications for the Mary Nutter ditch on Sept. 2, clearing the way for the project to be advertised for competitive bids.

Board members approved the specifications after staff described the planned work as roughly 1,400 linear feet of cleaning on the west side of the ditch with a maximum excavation depth around 18 inches. Staff asked that the contractor restore the ditch bank to a landscape condition so neighbors can mow and maintain it and to help control Johnson grass.

The maintenance specifications will be advertised for bid with proposals to be opened at the board's October 6 meeting. Kenny Hill made the motion to approve the specifications as presented; the motion passed after an affirmative voice vote recorded as "Aye."

Board members and staff did not record detailed vote tallies in the transcript beyond the voice vote. The specifications direct the contractor to restore the bank to a mowed/landscaped condition after excavation and to minimize outward flow to neighboring properties.