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Commissioner Jordan defends privately funded drainage repair, says he receives no personal profit and estimates county savings
Summary
At the July 7 meeting, Commissioner Jordan responded to social-media criticism of a private–public drainage project, saying he and Hessian Farms are contributing $55,000 each toward a roughly $110,000 tile-repair project, will take no personal gain, and estimated the work will save the county about $63,000 compared with recent contractor costs.
Commissioner Jordan used his allotted time on July 7 to respond to online criticism about a privately financed drainage repair tied to a county legal drain, saying he receives no personal benefit and that the county will save money if the privately funded work proceeds.
Jordan said the drainage issue affects a 5,400-acre watershed and that tile under the watershed is 75–100 years old and undersized. "This project's gonna save the county $63,000 or more. And I'm receiving 0 from it," Jordan said, adding that he and Hessian Farms are providing what he described as an interest-free loan — $55,000 each toward a project that he placed at roughly $110,000 total.
He addressed accusations circulating on social media, calling some posts "borderline defamatory" and urging residents to understand the technical differences between tile diameters and costs before criticizing elected officials. Jordan compared contractor-installed costs for 24-inch tile (which he cited from a recent project at $33.88 per foot) with the project estimate here (~$27.51 per foot) and said the county would likely pay more if it had to fund the full contractor price and that donated equipment would reduce costs further.
Commissioner Weaver and the other commissioner echoed frustration with social-media commentary and encouraged residents to ask questions at meetings rather than rely on social posts. Weaver said she agreed that the online dialogue can be "discouraging" and that town meetings are the venue for substantive questions.
What was not resolved: Jordan's cost and savings figures were presented as his calculations in the meeting; the transcript contains no independent verification or opposing testimony that contradicted his numbers. No formal motion or contract related to the drainage repair was recorded during the meeting; the statement was delivered as a commissioners' report.
Ending: The board moved on to other business after the exchange; no further action on the drainage project was recorded at the July 7 session.
