Commissioners press Water Board on planned drain special assessments and audit discrepancies

Chairman David Zeis and fellow commissioners questioned members of the Cavalier County Water Board on June 18 about proposed drain special assessments and lingering reconciliation problems from a state audit.

The Water Board, represented at the meeting by several board members and water-board attorney Quentin Wenzel, told the commission it planned to place “5 or 6” drain special assessments this year and is working to combine a number of drains. Tax Director Stephanie Bata reviewed a list of items she said remain uncorrected in the assessment records.

Commissioners pressed for clarity on the assessment lists and the status of fixes identified in the State Audit. Commissioners said they had concerns about the accuracy of the drain assessment spreadsheet and how reconciliations were being handled. According to the meeting record, the commissioners stated they did not feel the Water Board’s secretary was performing required duties; no formal personnel action was recorded at the meeting.

Quentin Wenzel, identified in the record as the Water Board attorney, attended the discussion but the transcript does not record a detailed rebuttal or corrections from the Water Board to the commissioners’ criticisms. The record shows the board intends to pursue the listed assessments but does not specify timelines, dollar amounts, or which drains will be combined.

The commission did not take a formal vote on the matter during the session; the record ends with the commission requesting further correction of assessment lists and additional documentation to address the state-audit findings.

Next steps: commissioners requested updated reconciliations and corrected assessment lists from the Water Board; the meeting record does not state a deadline or a scheduled follow-up meeting on this item.