Board advances three-year maintenance plan for Flegal Ditch and votes to advertise new assessment rate

Chair detailed the condition of the Flegal Ditch, which runs northwest of Prairie and Scott townships, saying repeated muck buildup and broken tile are preventing the system from carrying runoff and backing water into adjacent muck fields. He said the ditch has not had a hearing since 1982 and that several tile sections require replacement.

To address repeated overloads and improve maintenance, the chair proposed establishing a three-year maintenance program to dip and repair the muck and replace broken tile sections. He estimated an annual program cost of about $30,000 and said spreading larger replacements over multiple years would be less financially burdensome.

Following discussion of prioritization and historical maintenance funding shortfalls, the chair moved to advertise an assessment of $5 per acre with a $50 minimum to support the program; the board seconded the motion and approved it by voice vote. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally or the identity of the mover/second beyond the chair’s motion language.

The chair said that at the proposed $5-per-acre with a $50 minimum (as moved), the account would roughly break even against estimated work needs and that the board has been collecting approximately $10,000 annually under prior rates. He described the program as intended to provide steady funding to keep ditches dipped on a predictable schedule and to address tile replacements in prioritized sections.

Next steps: the board approved advertising the proposed assessment so the rate can be formally considered; the transcript does not record the public-notice schedule or specific dates for a final vote.