Resident reports private tiling, damaged laterals and flooding concerns for county tile

Alan Johnson, a landowner in District 89, told the Winnebago County Board the private drainage work he completed this year replaced missing or destroyed county laterals and has changed how surface water reaches Beaver Creek. "We started tiling and we ran a main all the way from Beaver Creek along the county tile ... there's a new 18‑inch vein there," Johnson said, describing new laterals and surface drains installed near the road.

Johnson said some original laterals "aren't even there — destroyed" and that in one spot it was cheaper to tie a damaged lateral into a new private line than to reroute it. He asked county staff to preserve photographs and updated tile maps so future landowners and county crews can find and understand changes made on private property.

County staff noted that any change to county assessments would be handled administratively and that Colin would need to examine assessment maps and percentages to determine benefit changes. "He would have to look at the maps to see the percentages," a staff member said, describing the reassessment process and the fact the landowner would bear any invoice tied to reducing his benefit share.

The discussion also highlighted a recurring problem: shallow or poorly covered historic tile lines. Johnson and others noted the existing county tile was laid with little cover and that a sudden drop in grade near the outlet can restrict flow, so some fixes would require a formal improvement vote rather than a simple repair. "The only way to fix that is an improvement and nobody's going to vote for that," one supervisor said.

Board members and staff agreed to document privately installed work for the county record; Johnson said he had already sent photos to staff. No formal action was taken during the update; the exchange ended with staff agreeing to consider how the county will handle map updates and potential reassessments.

The board did not vote on an improvement project during the meeting; next steps are record-keeping (maps/photos) and an administrative review by staff to determine whether a reassessment is appropriate.