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Landowners press Benton County to accept Ditch 4 abandonment petition after settling $15,000 assessment
Summary
Landowners seeking abandonment of Ditch 4 told the Ditch Authority they will try to resolve unpaid assessments and return previously issued buffer payments. County staff said state law prevents accepting an abandonment petition until outstanding assessments (totaling about $15,000 including buffer payments and redetermination costs) are paid in full; staff outlined options to collect or reconcile payments before a public hearing can be scheduled.
At a Ditch Authority session held during the county board meeting, landowners Tim Rakuski and Mike Murkowski sought guidance about a petition to abandon Ditch 4. They told commissioners they collected signatures from parcel owners and questioned the assessed amounts, saying they had contractor bids to clean the ditch for substantially less than the assessment.
County staff explained the $15,000 assessment consists of two parts: approximately $6,959.60 noted as a negative balance related to redetermination/benefits and about $8,700 in buffer‑strip payments; only one of the buffer checks had been cashed. Staff attorney Michelle and county finance staff said state statute requires assessments to be paid before an abandonment petition can be accepted; "we can't consider any petitions to abandon until the balance is paid up in full," staff said.
Landowners asked whether returning buffer checks and coordinating payments among neighbors would clear the balance; staff confirmed returning uncashed buffer checks and paying outstanding assessments would allow the petition process to move forward and that the petition threshold requires signatures representing 51% of benefited acres (not 100% of parcel owners). County staff agreed to help the petitioners clarify signatures and to provide timelines so the petition could be completed before the annual ditch meeting and tax deadlines if payments were made promptly.
The board did not take a final abandonment vote but directed staff to assist landowners with documentation and next steps.
