Webster County hearing on DD 34 Lateral A draws widespread landowner opposition over cost; no motion made to proceed

The Webster County Board of Supervisors, acting as trustees for Drainage District Number 34 Lateral A, held a continuation hearing on Jan. 13, 2026, where written and oral comments from landowners overwhelmingly objected to a proposed improvement because of high projected costs. The public hearing closed at 12:11 p.m.; no motion to proceed was offered.

Dozens of written submissions were entered into the record before the oral comments began. Several landowners and representatives argued that the engineering amendment released in 2025 contains inconsistencies with prior reports and that parcel-level cost breakdowns were incomplete. Hunter Fores, whose email and spreadsheet were read into the record, warned that ‘‘the cost substantially overshadow whatever benefit might be achieved by the proposal’’ and asked that the amendment and cost sheet be provided to landowners; he urged the board to deny the project based on the available figures.

Crystal Lloyd, Webster County’s budget and finance…