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Drainage board weighs one‑time $1 million drain levy to speed urgent repairs
Summary
Board discussed a proposal to temporarily lower the bridge levy and raise a one‑year drain levy (by assessed value) to create roughly $1 million for urgent drain repairs; members debated selection criteria, repayment and impacts on existing funds.
A presenter to the Whitley County Drainage Board on April 20 outlined a proposal to temporarily lower the county bridge levy and raise a one‑year drain levy, producing an estimated $1,000,000 to address the county's most urgent drainage repairs.
The presenter said the measure would be a one‑time reallocation and that, by the calculations in the materials, it would yield "approximately a million dollars to use in some of the most urgent drain circumstances." The plan would require action by county commissioners (to lower the bridge rate) and by the county council (to establish the short‑term drain levy), with the drainage board deciding when and where the money would be used.
Board members and staff raised concerns about repayment and fairness. One member said the bridge fund currently holds "almost $6 million" with more than $2 million planned for bridge projects this year, and asked whether there is a mechanism to pay the money back so the action does not become permanent. The presenter and other members said they anticipated treating the measure as a single‑year reallocation and that county officials would revisit the arrangement after the year passed.
Several board members worried the fund could invite lobbying and uneven treatment if criteria for disbursing funds were not clear. A board member recommended creating a scoring system that rates candidate projects by objective criteria — for example number of landowners affected, impact to public roads, and other infrastructure consequences — and said a standing committee and documented scoring matrix would reduce arbitrariness.
The presenter offered examples of drains that might benefit — including Carter 057, Cox J, Greer E, Rat G, Roush L, Shook 7 and Widman 1 — and emphasized the intent to use the money for drains with demonstrated and immediate need rather than as a general maintenance pool.
Board members also compared the proposal to existing mechanisms such as the GDI (general drain improvement) fund and discussed whether increasing the GDI limit or lengthening repayment terms might accomplish the same goal with fewer accounting complications. Staff cautioned that county accounting rules may require funds to remain separate; the auditor’s office would need to confirm whether assessments could be used to repay a separate drain fund.
No formal action on the levy proposal was taken at the meeting; the board discussed preparing materials for a county council public hearing scheduled the following week.
