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Polk County board approves ditch assessment plan with $5/acre cap on annual increases
Summary
The board approved a motion to move forward with assessments for ditch maintenance, keeping an assessment cap at or below $5 per acre and acknowledging some high negative balances will be worked down over time.
The Polk County Board voted to approve a county ditch assessment schedule and to direct staff to place assessments into the tax collection system for 2025. Staff explained the next step is to have the assessor (Anna Lee/Annalee in packet) enter the assessments so they will be collected with 2025 property taxes.
Board and staff discussion focused on limiting the annual assessment to a maximum of $5 per acre for the current round so that property owners do not face large immediate assessment spikes. County staff said a few ditches will remain in negative balances because bringing them to zero immediately would require very large per‑acre assessments; the county will continue to “chip away” at larger deficits annually.
Action and context: The motion to approve assessments and direct staff to enter them into the tax system carried on a voice vote. Staff confirmed they will keep assessment rates at or below $5 per acre for this collection cycle and will continue to work on high outstanding balances in subsequent years.
Ending: Staff and commissioners said they will monitor problematic cases and return to the board with updates.
