County Ditch #3
Redetermination of Benefits
County Ditch 3 was established May 23rd, 1904 after receiving a petition from several landowners in the area. Construction was competed later that year at a total cost of $1,092.56. At that time the Original Viewers report indicated that the value of the benefits provided by having a county ditch was $2,535.00.
This County Ditch has fallen into disrepair. The County Board, acting as the Drainage Authority, received a request to repair this ditch on February 10, 2020. After receiving the repair request, a.k.a. “Repair Petition,” the Board appointed a Ditch Engineer and ordered that a Repair Report be completed. This report is available on this webpage for review.
The repair report indicates that there are additional properties draining into County Ditch 3 than what were originally assessed benefits in 1904. Also, the repair report provides an estimate of costs to repair/clean the ditch. This estimate exceeds the value of the original benefits. Both facts combined lead to the need for a Redetermination of Benefits.
Recently, letters were mailed to owners of properties that may receive a benefit from County Ditch 3. The purpose of these letters is to inform landowners of an upcoming public hearing on June 1 and to inform that the Board is considering ordering a Redetermination of Benefits.
A Redetermination of Benefits (ROB) process appoints individuals known as Viewers to determine the value of the benefit provided by a county ditch. These Viewers use several tools to determine the value of benefit. These tools include, GIS data, aerial photography, land use statistics, and land values. Once the Viewers complete their work, landowners will be contacted about a meeting where they can view and discuss the benefit to their property provided by the ditch. Additionally, there will be another Public Hearing before the County Board accepts the Viewer’s report.
Please take some time to read through the documents on this webpage for further information. If you have questions, you may call County Engineer, Chris Byrd at 320-968-5051.