Ramsey County water board approves resolution of necessity for Newbury Township snag‑and‑clear hearing

The Ramsey County Water Board held a posted public hearing in Newbury Township on a petition to perform a snag‑and‑clear on a natural waterway and approved a resolution of necessity to move the project forward.

KLJ staff described the benefited area using LIDAR and parcel contour data and provided a handout showing the petition line work. KLJ said the blue‑outlined area in the handout drains to the channel identified for cleanout and noted intersections with U.S. Fish and Wildlife easements; easement acreage will be assessed at 50 percent under the assessment schedule.

Multiple landowners and residents spoke at the hearing. Shane Isers told the board the project aims to move water off multiple township and county road spots that have experienced damage, and other residents expressed concern about whether work would alter flows that affect neighboring properties. KLJ and staff responded that the project is intended to restore flow by removing vegetation and sediment — not to enlarge the drainage area — and that the drainage area itself would not change, though smoother flow may allow water to move more quickly through the channel.

The water board took a formal vote; a motion to approve the resolution of necessity for the snag‑and‑clear project passed with the members present. After the water board vote, the hearing record was closed and the water board requested the county commission follow the statute requiring the water board to approve the project before the county commission votes. The county commission resumed the regular meeting; commissioners were advised that the water board had voted and that the county commission will consider the project in its statutory sequence.

Why it matters: snag‑and‑clear assessments create a benefited area that can be assessed to pay for channel maintenance and can affect drainage patterns locally. Several residents asked about downstream impacts, parcel assessments and loan terms; staff said the water board may take a loan for up to five years and assessments can be structured accordingly.

Staff said the proposed assessment schedule assumes the area that drains into the channel benefits from the work and that the water board will address financing, including potential five‑year loans with balloon or rollovers if payoffs exceed that term.

The hearing record includes KLJ maps and public testimony; the water board’s approval of the resolution of necessity is the next procedural step before a county commission vote on any assessment ordinance or contract.