Neighborhood asks Harney County to install culverts and head gates on Stancliff Lane to relieve flooding
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Residents urged the county to allow culverts and head gates on Stancliff Lane and offered private land access; commissioners supported a community solution but asked for neighborhood agreements and legal review to limit liability and coordinate with the city of Burns.
During public comment at the Dec. 17 County Court meeting, resident Jerry Carroll (identified) urged the court to authorize culverts with head gates on Stancliff Lane to prevent repeated flooding of nearby homes. Carroll said a landowner has offered part of an alfalfa field for temporary storage and that neighbors would sign agreements to accept mitigation and possible compensation if fields are affected.
Other nearby landowners who identified themselves (including Cameron Bold and Roy Mould) voiced support conditional on compensation language and reasonable protections for their fields. County staff and commissioners welcomed a community‑led fix as a cost‑effective, immediate mitigation measure but emphasized the need for legal review. The court noted potential downstream impacts for the city of Burns and suggested a face‑to‑face meeting with city officials and the tribe to align on pump station needs and flood diversion implications.
The court suggested staff obtain neighborhood agreements and forward them to county counsel for legal review. Commissioners also discussed ordering head gates and pipe materials now while weather permits but recommended waiting for legal assurances and formal coordination before committing county construction work.
No authorization to proceed with construction was approved at the meeting; the court asked staff to collect neighborhood agreements, engage legal counsel on indemnity and compensation language, and reach out to tribal and municipal partners prior to any physical work.