Kossuth County supervisors authorize attorney to seek declaratory judgment over DDAD

At a Kossuth County Board of Supervisors meeting, the board voted to authorize county counsel to file for a declaratory judgment concerning DDAD.

Supervisor Stecker moved “to authorize our attorney, Bob Goodwin, to file a case to get a declaratory judgment concerning DDAD,” and Supervisor Hawes seconded the motion. The board voted unanimously to approve the motion.

Board members then thanked Goodwin for his work and asked whether he needed any further direction; Goodwin indicated none. Supervisors also discussed the origin of documents used at a recent DDAD hearing. One supervisor said the core substance of the material reviewed did not come from the auditor’s office and noted the underlying accounting information appeared to originate from a list of standard warrants or an accounting report. Board members asked staff to gather older district records — including materials dating to Phase 1 (assessed 2017) and Phase 2 (assessed 2018) — because newly requested information covered only 2019 to present and did not reflect the district’s full history.

Supervisors requested a review of audit statements related to drainage that were issued last fall and asked staff to bring those documents to a future meeting for accurate review rather than relying on recollection. The board also said it would collect and review documents referenced at recent hearings so members and affected landowners could see the full history of district work, including FEMA-funded repairs and other expenditures.

No additional formal actions were taken on DDAD-related items at the meeting beyond authorizing the filing; supervisors instructed staff to compile the relevant records and to follow up at a later date.