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Stevens County increases county ditch fiscal-agent fee to $10,500 and sets per-ditch maintenance charge
Summary
The board approved a fiscal-agent fee for county ditches of $10,500 for the coming year and set a $50 per-ditch annual maintenance charge, with spread and exceptions described by staff.
The Stevens County Board of Commissioners approved an increase in the county ditch fiscal-agent fee from $9,000 last year to $10,500 this year and adopted an annual $50 maintenance assessment per ditch for those with yearly assessments.
Staff explained the fee was calculated as $375 multiplied by the county’s 28 ditch systems, producing the $10,500 total; the fee will be allocated among ditches based on transaction volume. Staff also proposed a $50 annual charge for 22 ditch systems that typically receive maintenance assessments; those ditches will be billed $50 each year. If a ditch system has no transactions during the year, staff said that ditch would not be charged the transaction portion.
The board approved the motion to set the fiscal-agent fee and charges. Staff noted special handling for County Ditch 16, which will incur a $300 setup fee related to a new assessment and a $100 charge per improvement/redetermination item, since that ditch will begin paying again under a new assessment schedule.
Why it matters: Fiscal-agent fees and annual charges fund county administration of ditch systems and can affect local landowners served by those ditch systems. The fee structure is intended to allocate administrative costs proportionally across ditch systems and transactions.
Clarifying details: Staff said the $10,500 figure comes from $375 times 28 ditch systems; 22 ditches will pay $50 for annual maintenance assessments; County Ditch 16 will carry additional setup and per-improvement charges tied to a new assessment.
