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Residents press county on neglected ditches and roads; board approves $900 reimbursement
Summary
Multiple residents urged the county to address longstanding ditch and road maintenance problems tied to FEMA-era work. After public testimony and staff discussion, commissioners voted to reimburse Jeanette Foran $900 she paid to clear a drainage easement and directed staff to follow up on maintenance and mapping improvements.
Residents from several parts of Washington County used the non-agenda public-participation period March 19 to press the commission about unmaintained ditches, recurring flood damage and incomplete FEMA-funded repairs.
Jeanette Foran told the board she had granted an easement in 2013 to allow the county to dig a drainage ditch; after the countycontractor work stopped and the ditch filled she paid $900 to have trees and debris removed and came to the meeting seeking reimbursement. "I started asking for reimbursement in the latter part of December," Foran said; she presented a copy of the bill to the board.
Several other residents described similar problems: blocked culverts, gravel ends not continued after transfers of ownership and what one called the countymaintenance gap left by prior contracts. Commissioners acknowledged the complaints and described a plan to improve the county's GIS mapping of easements and maintenance ticklers so work is scheduled on a multi-year rotation.
The board made a motion to reimburse Foran for the $900 expense, with a commissioner suggesting staff first review the invoice and documentation under the county administrator's spending authority. The board then voted in favor of reimbursement and the chair confirmed staff will coordinate paperwork and returns.
Commissioners asked staff to investigate the FEMA projects mentioned by residents and to return with documentation about which work was paid and which remained undone. Public works staff said they are developing a GIS to track about 800--900 easements so future maintenance will trigger scheduled work rather than relying on ad hoc requests.
