Drainage board to advertise assessment hike, consider taking on private tile in Snyder–Caruthers watershed

The Marshall County Drainage Board voted to advertise proposed assessment rates and a public hearing for the Snyder–Caruthers watershed after staff recommended adding a private tile and a portion of the Caruthers Ditch to the county-maintained system.

Craig Hall, a technician with Farmers Drainage, told the board he located an existing private tile that carries subsoil drainage from the Snyder arm toward Olive Road and that much of the line “is in decent shape” for its estimated 30-year age. Hall said crews had already replaced a roughly 20-foot segment in 2023 and that crews located a plugged section that will need work.

Hall estimated an initial opening/repair cost of about $5,000 to restore flow; he forecast the watershed’s annual maintenance cost would rise to roughly $4,000–$5,000 if the tile and two ditch arms are added. Board staff presented figures showing the watershed would expand from about 219 acres to about 285 acres if both arms are accepted and that the annual collection would rise from the current $1,163 to the projected level after a rate change and building a reserve.

Why it matters: accepting the private tile into the county system would give the drainage board easement and maintenance authority and require a public notice and hearing before an assessment rate change. Staff told the board that acceptance creates a 75-foot easement each side of the pipe where the drainage board may work and clear trees.

Board discussion and vote: staff described rate options and recommended a rate that would yield about $5,000 per year to maintain the expanded watershed. The board voted to advertise a public hearing on proposed rates of $17 per acre with a $20 minimum charge and to notify all property owners in the watershed. Board staff said the general drainage fund would temporarily cover early repair work until assessment revenue is collected.

Details from site reconnaissance: Hall said the line begins as 24-inch spiral corrugated tile at the Snyder open ditch and stepped down to an 18-inch plastic tile through several parcels east of Olive Road. He advised the board that about 1,300 additional feet of tile further east could become problematic in the future and that the tile’s depth next to one house made locating or repairing some segments more difficult. Hall recommended marking outlets and parcel lines after repairs to discourage future tree plantings over the line.

Next steps: the board will send notice to property owners and hold a public hearing (staff proposed October 20 as the earliest hearing date) to receive public comment before making a final decision to adopt the assessment rate and formally accept the private tile and ditch segment into the county-maintained system.

Ending: The board’s action begins a process that includes mailed notices, a public hearing open to parcel owners, and a final vote at a later meeting; if approved, the county would assume maintenance authority and the 75-foot working easement for the added segments.