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Franklin County supervisors discuss plugged tiles, railroad crossings and expanded joint drainage talks
Summary
Supervisors reviewed multiple drainage problems, including plugged field tile under a railroad, tree-root blockages and soft road repairs, and scheduled a broader joint drainage discussion with other jurisdictions.
Franklin County supervisors spent a portion of their May 7 meeting detailing recurring drainage problems across rural parts of the county, including plugged field tile that may be blocked beneath a railroad crossing and tree-root intrusions in a 12-inch tile, and agreed to pursue a broader joint drainage discussion with adjacent drainage districts.
Supervisors said the issues matter because plugged tiles and unstable soils affect crop drainage, road shoulders and private property access. Richard, a supervisor, told the board, “I went and looked at it,” and said contractors who dug to repair tile “were assuming when they dug fixed the tile that that's the problem and it wasn't.”
The board heard several on-site reports: one supervisor said a ditch repair left some stumps and small limbs but that campground electrical pedestals were repaired; another noted a section where a building had been placed “too close to the edge.” The supervisors described a range of causes — settled or extremely soft soils, tree roots plugging tile and multiple crossings beneath the railroad — and emphasized that some repairs had not resolved all downstream connections.
County staff and supervisors agreed to bring drainage matters to a joint meeting with neighboring jurisdictions; the agenda noted a planned joint drainage discussion later in the morning. No formal policy change or funding appropriation was made at the meeting; the board directed staff to continue site visits and follow up with the drainage district trustees.
Supervisors and staff emphasized follow-up steps rather than immediate actions. Richard and other supervisors said they would attend local drainage district meetings and report back if further county intervention or engineer recommendations are needed.
The item drew sustained conversation rather than a formal vote; supervisors confirmed further coordination with county staff and trustees would occur at the scheduled joint drainage discussion.
