Meeker County reclassifies ditch inspector post as HC 41; public works reviews roads and ditch work

Meeker County commissioners approved reclassifying the county—s vacant ditch inspector position to an HC 41 pay grade Tuesday, and Public Works Director Phil Schmalls used the meeting to review the department—s staffing, equipment and a multi-year program of road, bridge and ditch work.

The board voted to reclassify the position after the county—s compensation and classification committee recommended the change following a review of the job description and regional comparators. Schmalls told commissioners the reclassification is intended to help attract qualified candidates; the position remains vacant and the county previously received only one nonlocal applicant.

Funding: Schmalls said the ditch inspector—s hours are paid from benefiting properties on ditch systems, not from the county levy. He warned that increasing the pay rate could slightly raise costs billed to those benefiting properties.

Statutory duties and risk: Schmalls reviewed county duties for ditch systems, including a statutory expectation that ditches be inspected every five years. He said the county has fallen behind on the five-year inspection cycle and that not performing required inspections can expose the county to liability; he cited case law where failure to inspect contributed to financial liability in a separate municipality.

Public works overview: Schmalls then presented the department—s annual report and highlighted road and bridge projects completed in 2024 (including micro-milling and reclaim-and-pave work), equipment and fleet counts (for example, 17 plow trucks and 13 motor graders), and the county—s unusual road structure (Meeker County has county-state-aid roads and township roads but no designated "county roads" for state-aid purposes). He also described the county ditch inventory (about 170 miles of open ditch and roughly 55 miles of tile lines) and common repair needs such as tree removal, sediment cleanout and permitting requirements.

Options for filling work: Commissioners and Schmalls discussed recruitment and contracting options. Schmalls said contracting remains an option (requiring an RFP if used), and that contracting could be a short-term approach if recruitment fails. He also discussed shared arrangements with neighboring counties but said prior outreach had mixed results.

Board action: Commissioner Oberg moved to approve the reclassification to HC 41 (motion seconded by Commissioner Samtke). The board approved the reclassification by voice vote.

Why it matters: County officials said filling the ditch inspector position is important to bring the county back into compliance with inspection timelines, reduce liability exposure and keep routine ditch maintenance on schedule. Schmalls said ditch work also supports road safety and drainage across townships that the county helps maintain under intergovernmental maintenance agreements.

Next steps: Human resources and public works will post or recruit for the reclassified position and continue to consider contracting and regional sharing if recruitment does not produce qualified candidates. Schmalls said he expects an ongoing workload for ditch maintenance for the foreseeable future.