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Supervisors revise draft drainage policy language; add GPS point requirement for repair claims
Summary
Board reviewed an updated drainage policy template, agreed to require GPS coordinates and photographic evidence for repair claims, and discussed timing and notice for drainage-district assessments and litigation notifications. Final approval was deferred for a follow-up meeting after staff incorporates edits.
KOSSUTH COUNTY — Kossuth County supervisors reviewed an updated drainage policy format intended to standardize how drainage repair requests, assessments and litigation notices are handled and agreed on several substantive edits, including a requirement that GPS coordinates accompany drainage repair claims before invoices will be paid.
Auditor Tammy Giddon and road staff presented the draft policy, which consolidates earlier guidance and adds steps for documenting repairs and for notifying landowners when litigation affects a drainage district. Supervisors discussed making GPS coordinates and photos a required part of repair documentation so the county retains a consistent electronic record of work, including before/after images and point locations.
Supervisors asked staff to ensure the policy specifies how drainage district trustees should submit requests and how the county will record receipt (for example, stamped meeting minutes or a simple trustee-signed form), and to set a deadline for private drainage trustees to submit requests for assessments. The board suggested an April 30 deadline for trustee requests that would need to be included in that year's assessment cycle.
On litigation and assessment notification, the board agreed staff should send an informational notice to affected landowners when litigation is initiated in a district and to include a drainage-related update with the annual drainage assessment mailing. Supervisors discussed concerns about the cost and potential confusion if a short-lived suit triggered a mass mailing, but concluded landowners should be informed when litigation is active and that staff should coordinate timing and format with the treasurer’s office.
Staff said the county currently purchases a license for a mapping/GIS application used to record repair points and that the county will require contractors to add GPS points and supporting images to claims; staff recommended the county cover the license if the policy makes the tool a required step for paid repairs.
The board did not adopt the policy in final form at the meeting; supervisors asked staff to incorporate the discussed edits (including the April 30 trustee deadline, the litigation-notice language and the “GPS points required before invoice payment” language) and return with a final draft for approval at the next meeting.
