Drainage board approves Skinner Rausch assessment at $21 per acre

The Blackford County Drainage Board approved an assessment for the Skinner Rausch tile installation, setting the rate at $21 per acre with no minimum and an eight-year interim repayment schedule.

Committee member (Speaker 2) said the reassessment ‘‘will bring in roughly, $2,600 a year to help pay for that over the next 8 years.’’ The board moved, seconded and recorded the vote in favor, 3-0.

Board members said notifications were verified and that no property owners attended the hearing to contest the assessment. The measure is intended to cover installation and maintenance costs associated with the Skinner Rausch tile and to spread repayment over multiple years to reduce single-year impacts.

Next procedural steps will be to finalize assessment paperwork and notify affected property owners. The board did not specify an effective date beyond the eight-year repayment schedule.