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Council debates who owns local irrigation water, city responsibility unclear
Summary
Councilman Devin Krasowski raised a private irrigation line repair affecting multiple parties and asked staff to check historical records; City Attorney Ben Layman said the city is not responsible unless it owns the water, meaning ownership transfer would be required before the city could bill for irrigation.
Councilman Devin Krasowski described a private issue with an irrigation line on the north side of town and asked whether old city records could show if the city previously maintained the canal. Krasowski said multiple parties would share repair costs and requested a records review to clarify whether the city had past maintenance responsibility.
City Attorney Ben Layman replied that the city cannot be responsible for infrastructure it does not own, saying, "the City is not responsible for something they don’t own. It comes down to 'who owns the water.'" Mayor David Porterfield added that any move to a city-controlled irrigation system would require acceptance by the public and a formal transfer of ownership to enable billing and collections. The minutes do not record a motion or vote on the matter; council requested further examination of ownership records.
