Howard County drainage staff outline contentious assessment plan and ARP-funded reconstructions

Greg, a drainage staff member, told the Howard County Drainage Board the office will propose an assessment increase to fund priority drainage repairs.

"So what we're going to propose in this assessment increase is a $100,000 a year increase for 5 years, and then it would be lowered to 60,000 at the end of that 5 years," Greg said, describing a phased plan that would prioritize open-ditch repairs and tile replacement in the worst parts of the watershed first.

The nut graf: The proposal is intended to raise funds quickly to repair multiple tributaries and tiles staff say have long needed work. Staff framed the measure as a five‑year concentrated effort to fix the most damaged upstream areas, then continue repairs farther back toward town.

In outlining impacts, staff gave examples of how costs might fall across parcel sizes. Greg said the minimum fee is being set at $50 in his example; many 1–1.5 acre parcels would face roughly $100 per year during the five‑year period. He also relayed a public comment example of one parcel that estimated more than $1,000 a year under a prior $200,000 assessment scenario and then demonstrated how cutting the program in half would reduce that to roughly $500.

Staff warned the assessment is likely to prompt heated public reaction in areas where assessments would rise, particularly where solar leases have altered tax and special-assessment arrangements. "We should be charging the solar company a 100% of the bill," one staff comment captured the sentiment heard in the meeting, underscoring the likely debate over who should bear costs when leased solar acreage dominates a watershed.

Separately, staff reviewed near-term, ARP-funded reconstruction projects. Greg said the county will use leftover ARP design and construction dollars to proceed directly to reconstruction on a small, high‑need section of the Maria Coontz drain (location given as 350 West and 26) rather than spending the remaining ARP funds on additional design work. He estimated that the reconstruction could be completed for under $150,000 and that roughly $60,000 in ARP funds remain available to apply to that work.

Staff also reported designs under way for the Daughter drain reconstruction and described the James Galleon open ditch issue, which crosses into Miami County and is complicated by beaver dams and a property owner who has resisted removal efforts. Greg outlined several options — asking Miami County to carry out removal work, combining regulated drains, or negotiating cost-sharing — but said jurisdictional and legal questions remain unresolved.

Board members and staff emphasized the timetable and next steps. Greg said public engagement for the Stall Shank assessment discussions will begin with a town hall anticipated in February and that the assessment proposal will likely be formally presented for consideration after further study. No formal vote or change to assessments occurred at the meeting; the presentation was informational and intended to start public outreach.

What happens next: staff plan a town hall and will bring a formal assessment proposal back to the board for consideration; Maria Coontz reconstruction is expected to move forward using remaining ARP dollars and in‑house oversight.

Quotes used in this article are verbatim from the meeting transcript and attributed to speakers identified in the transcript.