Council directs second notice and outreach after lack of applicants for two drainage district vacancies

County staff told the council Tuesday that, after an earlier solicitation, no additional applicants had come forward to fill vacancies on drainage district boards number 3 and number 5. District 3 had two of three seats filled; district 5 had only one of three seats filled and therefore lacked a quorum to conduct business.

Staff recommended issuing a second extended public notice of vacancy, contacting former board members to see if they would consider returning, and preparing updated boundary maps for the districts. The staff report noted some uncertainty about older district maps and how updates have been recorded with state offices.

Council members asked whether districts could be consolidated to address chronic low participation. Staff said state code currently prohibits creation of new drainage districts and indicated consolidation might trigger legal questions; members directed staff to request legal guidance from the county attorney and to contact the state special-districts official (LeGrande Bitter was named during discussion) for advice.

The council gave staff direction—without a formal vote—to publish a second notice of vacancy, reach out to former members, and pursue updated boundary mapping and legal clarification on consolidation options. Staff said they would proceed and report back.