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Committee warned of rising Westside Ditch assessments tied to litigation; budget amendment likely
Summary
Staff reported the city owns 40 shares in the Westside Ditch and that litigation and attorney fees have driven assessments from past low-dollar amounts to as much as $130 per share, creating unplanned costs that the committee said will likely require a budget amendment.
Staff told the Finance Committee the city owns 40 shares of the Westside Ditch, historically used for cemetery irrigation, and that a lawsuit and related attorney fees over the past two to three years have driven assessments and legal costs much higher than in prior years.
Staff cited past per-share invoices of $5–$40 in prior years and said the most recent assessment was $130 per share. "Currently, now our bill was, over a $100,000," staff said, and later noted the city’s share-based cost exposure means the city will likely pay several thousand dollars this fiscal year and could end up near $10,000, which the committee did not budget for.
Committee members discussed options and staff said they would likely need to process a budget amendment to cover the unexpected expenses. No motion to change ownership of shares was recorded; staff said shares cannot simply be given up and that the committee should plan for the budgetary impact. The committee moved on after noting the situation.
