Trustees acknowledge preliminary reclassification and will mail results to Warren #11 landowners

The trustees acknowledged receipt of a preliminary reclassification of benefits for Drainage District Warren #11 on April 7 and directed staff to mail that preliminary schedule and an explanatory letter to landowners prior to the May bid letting and consideration. Bolton & Menk engineer Tyler Conley said he submitted a revised reclassification that includes a railroad parcel that had been excluded from the 1951 reclassification because of assessment/GIS differences.

Conley told trustees the revised schedule "distributes the costs of any district repairs much more equitably than the current schedule." Trustees agreed a mailing would give landowners time to review proposed changes before any final reclassification or levy; Chair Linda Murken and Trustee Latifah Faisal moved and seconded the instruction to mail the preliminary reclassification prior to the bid opening and bid-consideration meeting. Staff said the mailing will include dates for the May 7 bid opening and the May 18 6:00 p.m. bid-consideration meeting.

The preliminary reclassification is informational only and not a formal adoption; trustees discussed appointing commissioners to review a final reclassification if they later pursue reclassification. Conley said that for an open ditch project the preliminary schedule is unlikely to change substantially in a final report, but staff noted the Code of Iowa requires specific notice periods for formal reclassification steps.