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Local irrigation districts and ditch companies press for grant access after pooled insurance changes
Summary
Commissioners heard extended comment from ditch and irrigation representatives about higher insurance costs and reduced access to certain state/federal grant and loan programs after elimination of pooled 'special‑district' insurance; senators' staff were asked to follow up on suitable funding routes.
Representatives of local irrigation districts and ditch companies raised longstanding concerns about the loss of pooled special‑district insurance and how that change has increased premiums and complicated eligibility for state and federal grant and loan programs.
Speakers described that after a statewide pooling program changed (described in the meeting as Mako/MACo changes), several quasi‑governmental entities found private insurance costly or limited. Participants said that exclusion from some grant categories (for example, certain rural water and renewable resource loan/grant programs) left small irrigation districts without typical funding pathways and that private insurance riders (e.g., $5 million) were becoming necessary for some contracts.
Commissioners and the senator's regional representative discussed possible avenues: congressional directed spending for infrastructure, targeted state grants, and tailored outreach to USDA/NRCS or other agencies. County staff agreed to compile documentation and follow up with the senator's office and state contacts to clarify options for quasi‑government entities seeking funding or insurance relief.
