Madison County approves ordinance to create drainage permit restricted fund

The Madison County Board of Commissioners voted to establish a drainage permit restricted (nonreverting) fund that will allow fees collected for drainage permits to be retained for drainage-related projects rather than reverting to the general fund. The measure was introduced and, after a brief discussion of likely uses, the board voted to suspend the rules and pass the ordinance by title.

The ordinance was presented at the request of the surveyor’s office and the drainage board secretary. A representative from the surveyor’s office said the bulk of the money would be spent on navigable streams work and removing log jams that block flow. “At this point, we think the bulk of the money will be spent for navigable streams,” the surveyor’s office representative said, noting the county’s limited prior funds for those efforts.

Commission members discussed revenue expectations and expense examples: the board noted the navigable‑streams fund historically collected about $30,000 a year but that recent receipts are closer to $20,000. Commissioners flagged that removing large log jams can cost tens of thousands of dollars, with multiple references during discussion to individual removals in the $40,000–$56,000 range. Commissioners said reports from the highway department’s help in prior years substantially reduced costs.

After discussion the Chair moved to introduce ordinance number 2026-BC-O-3, directing county staff to create and administer the new restricted fund. The board then voted to suspend the normal rules so the measure could be passed at the same meeting and approved the ordinance by title on voice votes.

The ordinance creates a dedicated nonreverting account for drainage permit receipts to be used for drainage-related purposes. County staff and the surveyor’s office were invited to manage the fund and return to the board with details on implementation and anticipated annual revenue.