Resident tells Whitley County board more than $100,000 spent on tile but drainage still failing

During the public-comment portion of the Whitley County Drainage Board meeting, resident Scott Miller said work done years ago has left visible pipe on the right-of-way and that residents have spent significant sums without getting functional drainage.

"We paid over a $100,000 on this so far, and we still don't have a drain," Miller said, asking who will pay to correct the problem. He told the board he intends to file a tort claim to put the issue on record.

Chair responded that staff have found sections of tile that "weren't laid on grade" and said the board and staff plan to relay the sections so the drainage will function. Staff added they are changing their approach to shoot the whole drain and set final grades with survey shots before proceeding to avoid piecemeal sections that lose grade between phases. Board members acknowledged the frustration of landowners and said the drain fund currently pays for tile work, which affects landowners who benefit from the drain.

Board and staff emphasized corrective action: re-laying the misgraded section, improving surveying and oversight, and sequencing projects so upstream and downstream segments align. The board did not provide a different funding mechanism during the meeting; staff noted the current mechanism uses the drain fund and that corrections will be done under that process.

Miller's allegation that a large sum has been spent with inadequate results remained unresolved in the meeting; his statement and the board's response were recorded on the meeting transcript.