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Story County trustees approve levies for three drainage districts, decline to levy Warren 11 now
Summary
The Story County Board of Supervisors approved assessments to cover deficits in three joint drainage districts (Boone140, Grant21, Richland107) and debated a larger Warren 11 project before deciding not to levy that district at this meeting. Trustees cited pending reclassification work, potential interest savings, and fairness among landowners.
The Story County Board of Supervisors approved recommended levies May 26 to cover deficits in three joint drainage districts, but after extended debate chose not to levy the larger Warren 11 district at this meeting.
Staff member S4 told trustees that joint Drainage District Boone140 (Story 7) was about $10,471 “in the red” after a repair project and that Boone County recommended a 62% assessment expected to generate $13,470.58, leaving a small positive balance. S3 moved to approve the recommended levy and the trustees carried the motion.
The board then considered Grant 21 and Richland 107, which S4 said had negative balances from routine county maintenance. S4 described the recommended assessment for Grant 21 as 185% and for Richland 107 as 40%; trustees voted to approve both recommended levies.
Warren 11 prompted the longest debate. S4 described Warren 11 as an eight-and-a-half-mile open ditch special project with a current shortfall of $102,432.93, a figure that includes projected interest through the next collection cycle. S4 told the trustees that the county bookkeeping department advised levying this year to avoid additional interest that could grow to as much as about $20,000 by late 2027. “Currently the district has a shortfall of $102,432.93,” S4 said.
Board members discussed timing rules and how levies become delinquent. S4 explained that levies imposed after May 31 would not be delinquent until Sept. 30 of the following year, meaning interest would continue to accrue during the interim. Trustees also discussed reclassification work that is expected to “radically change the benefits to parties within the district,” potentially shifting how much each landowner pays once the reclassification is finalized.
Several trustees proposed different approaches: S2 moved for a full levy to cover the current shortfall; that motion failed for lack of a second. S3 proposed a compromise levy of $40,000, which was seconded and debated as a middle ground between immediate full repayment and doing nothing now. S1 then moved that the trustees not levy Warren 11 at this time; after discussion the trustees approved not to levy at the May 26 meeting.
S4 also summarized the cause of delays in the reclassification process: engineering reports and required reviews with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers experienced back-and-forth questions and were slowed by a federal government shutdown, and Story County planning approval did not arrive until early March. S4 said the county expects a formal reclassification report and maps from the engineer (Tyler Conway) for final trustee consideration.
The board concluded with routine adjournment. No formal levy was adopted for Warren 11 at this meeting; the trustees left the district’s full financing plan and the pending reclassification for future action.
What happens next: staff said contractual documents for the Warren 11 construction were circulating and that contractor work could begin as soon as signatures are complete; the reclassification report is expected before trustees take further levy action.
