Clinton County board agrees to pursue joint Swamp Creek watershed with Tipton County

Clinton County drainage board members voted to move forward with Tipton County on creating a new, joint watershed to maintain and improve drainage in the Swamp Creek area, the board heard during its meeting.

The proposal, presented by Jason Henderson, Sippie County surveyor, and supported by landowners including Mike Klein of Tifton County, would establish a new maintenance fund and begin the statutory hearing process to levy assessments for upkeep and clearing along Swamp Creek. “We were looking at working with Zach and Dan, to put together a hearing just like we would any other maintenance hearing,” Henderson said.

The plan would target the portion of the watershed that drains into Swamp Creek and stops where it meets the shanty rather than taking on the larger Kilmore Creek system, Henderson said. He told the board the mapped catchment in Clinton County is a little over 13,500 acres and that some existing drains feed into the proposed area. “When we do take drains into a watershed, they have to be in good working order,” a board member said; Henderson said he would rely on the Clinton County surveyor to attest to that condition.

Board members discussed logistics and precedents, noting Clinton County has created watersheds and joint drainage boards before, including the Big Cicero project. Henderson and supporters said Tipton County could collect assessments and manage maintenance if Clinton County agreed to participate. Landowner Mike Klein said the creek “needs cleaned out” and expressed optimism the joint approach would improve drainage for farms and incorporated areas that drain to Swamp Creek, including the town of Kimpton on the Tipton side.

Timing discussed at the meeting aimed for a hearing certification this year so collections could begin next year; Henderson suggested a target around November to allow time for remonstrance and any court challenges, and noted that once established the fund could be run temporarily in deficit to start work immediately.

After discussion, a board member moved to “move forward and work with Jason and Tipton to get it established.” Another member seconded; the board recorded the motion as carried, 3–0, and directed staff to proceed with coordination and the statutory hearing process.

The board and presenters said additional details remain to be worked out: exact watershed boundaries, whether adjacent smaller watersheds (such as the Foreman area) should be absorbed or remain separate, and how assessment lines would be drawn across multiple existing assessments. Henderson said Tipton and Clinton staff would exchange letters and that the process would mirror other joint drainage arrangements between counties.

Board members asked staff to return before a hearing is set so the board and county attorney could review the proposal and materials.