Muskegon County water resources commissioner presents annual drain report, outlines 90 assessments and petition projects

Stephanie Barrett, Muskegon County water resources commissioner, presented the office's annual report to the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners on March 13, saying the report is required by law and summarizes the office’s finances and fieldwork for the year.

Barrett told the board that her two-person office “assessed 90 separate drains last year.” She said the report includes beginning balances, revenues, expenses and ending balances for drain districts and a list of drains assessed in 2024 to show the scope of work.

The presentation explained that many county drains are not buried pipes but open ditches, creeks or streams. Barrett said the office both performs general maintenance work and processes petition-driven projects. She described one active petition project, O.H. Scott Waters, which started after local residents reported flooding and petitioned the county.

Dallas Goldberg, Barrett’s deputy, described the petition process and who qualifies as a freeholder. Goldberg said the office requires at least five signatures from qualifying freeholders for a petition and that staff must verify deeds to confirm which signatures count. “If you’re a married couple but only one person’s name is on the deed, only their signature counts,” Goldberg said.

Barrett and Goldberg walked commissioners through photos of recent work, including the John Smith Drain and work at the Montague Drain. Barrett said some projects involve installing pipe and other projects rely on “coconut log” or other measures to slow overland flow.

The report listed 29 site-plan reviews performed during the fiscal year. Barrett told the board that some plans were approved, some remain ongoing and some approvals were withheld pending additional information or fees. She explained a common local instrument, a “433 agreement,” as a way developers create retention or detention ponds (for example at shopping centers) that later become county drains the county inspects and accepts.

Barrett also described the difference between petition-driven public drains, which often affect multiple homeowners and municipal jurisdictions, and privately funded drainage agreements such as 425/433-style arrangements in which a developer builds and initially maintains infrastructure and then the county accepts responsibility. She said there are roughly 300 active drains in the county across different categories; many are private or small-district drains while others, like the Howard Drain, cross multiple municipalities.

Barrett noted the office is working on a separate grant-funded remediation project for the Celery Flats area, distinct from the O.H. Scott Waters drain project, to address broader water-quality concerns.

A commissioner asked clarifying questions about the meaning of “withheld” on site-plan letters; Barrett explained that “withheld typically refers to the approval letter” and can reflect outstanding fees or missing engineering information. She suggested commissioners schedule a work session for a deeper briefing on drain types, petitions and the office’s procedures.

Barrett closed by urging commissioners to review the written financials and project photos included in the packet and offered to answer follow-up questions.