McLeod County OKs Ditch‑40 crossing replacement; schedules public meeting on Ditch 12A bids

The McLeod County Board on April 21 approved replacing the County Ditch 40 crossing after receiving a technical recommendation and cost estimate from county staff.

Connie, the county auditor‑treasurer, told the board the finalized Houston Engineering Inc. report recommends replacing the crossing with "a minimum of a 90 inch diameter corrugated metal pipe culvert at an invert elevation of 1,029," with an estimated total project cost of about $120,000, including $94,200 in construction costs and roughly $10,000 for additional HEI services. Connie said HEI "will not exceed the scope and budget for the completion of this work without prior authorization from McLeod County." The board moved and approved the recommendation.

Why it matters: the project will be paid from County Ditch 40 funds; commissioners clarified that although the board sometimes acts wearing multiple statutory "hats" (county board and drainage authority), the funding source and the drainage‑authority process determine responsibility for the work.

At open forum, Tom Dahl of Coma Township reported a separate culvert failure on a county road and said township crews will coordinate with county public works to reset the structure. County staff noted that formal responses to citizen concerns occur through established public works channels and that related drainage work (including bids for County Ditch 12A repair) will be discussed at a McLeod Drainage Authority public meeting set for May 5.

What’s next: the county will proceed with the HEI service work and construction planning for CD 40 and will hold a public Drainage Authority meeting on May 5 to receive bids and consider repair options for County Ditch 12A.

Provenance: county staff presentation and motion (Connie) and board discussion (SEG 120–SEG 203; SEG 1584–SEG 1599; SEG 1679–SEG 1695).