Knox County schedules Dec. 16 hearing to consider raising maintenance cap for North Branch of Fork Creek

Knox County commissioners voted to advertise a public hearing on Dec. 16 to consider raising the statutory maintenance cap for the North Branch of Fork Creek, citing rising costs that have left little money for routine ditch upkeep.

County soil‑and‑water official Rob Vendetti told the board that “the caps that we have for maintenance on those are not adequate at this point,” as inflation and broader development in watersheds have increased costs for materials, labor and erosion control. County engineer Clint Cochran said the county may update its engineer’s estimate only using the original construction line items and noted that statute limits the permanent assessment base to 20% of the current construction estimate.

Why it matters: county petition ditches are funded by assessments on properties that drain to the ditch; when the maintenance fund reaches its statutory cap the county must stop assessing until balances fall below the cap, leaving little ability to pay for spraying, mowing or repairs. Commissioners said that constraint has left some ditches without routine maintenance for years and may force the county to advance general‑fund money for emergency repairs.

What officials said: Cochran reported a rebuild estimate for the ditch of roughly $285,000 and described the statutory 20% cap on the maintenance fund, which would put the cap in the neighborhood of $57,000 at that estimate. “So the engineer’s estimate can only be updated based on the original estimate on the project,” Cochran said, explaining the legal limits on how the estimate can be recalculated.

Rob Vendetti added examples of current costs, saying spraying by a contractor can run about $3,000 and that an 800‑foot ditch‑repair example had an estimate near $45,000 — amounts that rapidly exhaust current maintenance balances. Staff reported 122 parcels currently assessed for North Branch of Fork Creek and said a review could add or remove roughly a dozen parcels from the permanent assessment base.

Next steps: commissioners approved a motion to publish public‑notice advertisement for a meeting to review the permanent assessment base. The hearing will address whether to raise the maintenance cap; any change to per‑parcel assessments would be handled later in May when the permanent assessment base and per‑acre rate are set. Commissioner Jason moved to approve the advertisement and the motion passed on a voice vote.

Officials asked staff to prepare updated parcel counts and a recommended per‑acre rate in advance of the May assessment process. The public hearing was set for Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. at the Knox County Memorial Theater.