Commissioners spar over whether sewer board secretary costs should fall to taxpayers

Commissioners spent extended time debating administrative responsibility for a new sewer/drainage board and a proposed $2,500–$5,000 secretariat allocation. One commissioner argued the cost should not be borne by taxpayers: “I think we need to take it out,” another commissioner said when discussing the county paying for secretariat work tied to the sewer board.

Other commissioners warned that the county had assumed responsibility for the project and that failing to address administrative arrangements could leave the county on the hook for project liabilities. The group discussed billing mechanisms, creating a separate fund, and whether the auditor or treasurer could perform administrative tasks; members agreed to remove the line from the draft budget for now and ask the sewer board to clarify funding and billing arrangements.