Supervisors to send certified letter after private tile crossing request

Humboldt County supervisors agreed to send a certified notice after a landowner asked the county to pay for a private 15-inch tile crossing on P19.

Supervisors described their review of the drainage statutes cited during the meeting and said the code requires the landowner to file the proper application and pay the $1 auditor filing fee before taxpayer funds may be used. The transcript records the meeting noting specific code references (468600 and 468622) and counsel’s advice that the county must follow those procedures. “He’s just going to sue us,” the record notes as the landowner declined to submit the paperwork, prompting the county to pursue formal notice by certified mail and, if needed, sheriff service.

The board voted to have staff draft the letter and circulate it to supervisors for edits before sending; legal counsel recommended the certified notice to document the county’s request that the landowner comply with statutory steps. Supervisors added that, if a landowner refuses repairs that cause erosion or damage to the ditch, the code provides a notice process and a mechanism to perform repairs and assess the landowner’s share afterwards.

Next steps: staff will prepare the certified letter and a draft of the code citations for the landowner; the matter was recorded in the minutes as an action item.