Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Drainage Districts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wright County receives petition to convert private tile to district asset and appoints McClure as engineer
Summary
Wright County trustees voted to receive a petition from the Latham family asking to convert private tile into a joint drainage district asset (JDD 111-3) and appointed McClure Engineering to examine options including annexation or new lateral classification.
Wright County drainage trustees voted to receive a petition seeking to convert private tile on Latham family land into a district asset within Joint Drainage District 111-3 and appointed McClure Engineering to prepare a current engineer report.
Courtney, Wright County’s drainage clerk, told trustees the petition asks that privately installed tile on the Latham property be brought into the drainage district: "This tile is currently connected to the lateral 5 tile that is only about a 100 feet long," she said. The petition area is within JDD 111-3; the clerk said it is not yet clear whether the work should be classified as an annexation into the existing lateral 5 (possibly as a lateral 5A) or handled as a separate lateral/classification.
Courtney told the boards that an engineer’s report prepared about 10 years ago (2015) exists in the file but is now too old to serve as the county’s technical basis. She said earlier work on the project was not completed and there are no subsequent minutes on record from a previous joint board appointment of an engineer. Two landowners who signed the current petition, identified in the packet as Donna Boosman and Robert Latham, submitted $10,000 checks each as bond and security along with the petition.
Trustees discussed district classification. Courtney noted the broader district currently uses a single classification for roughly 40 laterals and said the county’s drainage attorney previously recommended considering reclassifying laterals so each has its own classification. Trustees raised cost concerns about reclassification; one supervisor said it would be "pretty expensive." The Franklin County representative on the call said the lands identified in this petition lie entirely within Wright County and moved that Franklin County cede control of this project to Wright County, with the understanding Franklin County would be kept informed. Franklin County's motion passed.
Following discussion, a Wright County supervisor moved to receive the petition, extend lateral 5 as needed, and appoint McClure Engineering as the engineer to work with the drainage attorney. The motion passed by voice vote with recorded "ayes." Courtney said she would request McClure use available historic files to expedite a contemporary engineering opinion and will arrange for site photos; landowners requested work not be undertaken until after August.
The trustees did not adopt a final classification or assessment schedule at this meeting; the appointment of McClure is intended to produce an up-to-date engineering report to inform next steps, which could include annexation to lateral 5, creation of a distinct lateral (e.g., lateral 5A), reclassification of the larger district, or an owner agreement. The county’s drainage attorney will work with the appointed engineer to recommend the appropriate path forward.
