Board approves raising watershed maintenance assessment to $5 per acre

The Kosciusko County drainage board voted to raise the maintenance assessment on a 5,000-acre watershed to $5 per acre with a $50 minimum, a change the board says will bring in about $32,000 annually to cover needed repairs and more frequent maintenance.

Jim, who presented the proposal, said the watershed currently brings in about $10,000 a year at a rate of $1.88 per acre and a $6.25 minimum, and argued the system requires greater funding because "a lot of this drainage ditch is in muck soils, which I feel needs more attention a little more often." He estimated the increased rate would provide the roughly $30,000 a year needed for several years to restore tile and open ditches and expand a brush-control spray program.

Town manager Adam Lawns of Winona Lake spoke during public comment and urged regional cooperation, saying the county's ditches "impact municipal infrastructure" and that additional maintenance would "help greatly" at the municipal level. After brief discussion about current balances and debt, a board member moved to set the new assessment and the motion carried by voice vote.

The board did not specify an implementation schedule in the meeting; staff said resident-specific calculations can be made through the office. The change is intended to fund recurring maintenance, targeted tile repairs and expanded brush-control work over the coming years.