Board hears complaint about private ditch

The county drainage board hasn’t had much to do lately.
On Monday, it heard a complaint about a ditch it doesn’t oversee.
Rick Johnloz, a representative for Halderman Farm Management and Real Estate Services, told Jim Zimmerman, Doug Inman and Faron Parr a private ditch hasn’t been managed well.
Halderman manages farm property owned by Kozy Kourt, Inc., adjacent to Beaver Creek in the Frank Grissell watershed.
Along the ditch, which empties into the Salamonie River just after it crosses from Blackford County to Jay County, a berm has been built up, but it’s not always effective, Johnloz said.
“It’s impossible to do,” he said. “I mean, you’re not going to keep all the water from coming out of that ditch.”
The problem is that once the ditch spills over in heavy rain, the same berm prevents water from draining back in.
Johnloz questioned whether property owners should have to pay the ditch assessment if the money is used ineffectively.
“It’s been more advantageous for some of the landowners out there than others,” Johnloz said, adding it looks to him like “there’s monkey business going on out there.”
The board and county attorney Lon Racster told Johnloz he should seek an attorney familiar with drainage law. They also suggested talking to property owners in the area.
Unless landowners petition for control of the ditch to go back to the county, it has no reason to be involved in the matter.
Acting as the county commissioners, Parr, Zimmerman and Inman:
•Heard from county engineer Dan Watson that Indiana Department of Transportation will conduct a study on the speed limit on Votaw Street (Indiana 67).
As drivers enter Portland and continue past Wal-Mart, 950 W. Votaw St., the speed limit is 45 miles per hour. It doesn’t drop to 35 until around Middle Street, and at Creagor Avenue it become 30 miles per hour.
•Received a new department policy for Jay Emergency Medical Service. Waggoner Irwin Scheele and Associates, the county’s human resources consulting firm, will review it.
•Heard from Emergency Management Agency director Ralph Frazee that several county departments are considering upgrading employee cell phones.
•Signed a contract to add the collection of court costs to work Pioneer Credit Recovery does for the county. The agency already collects unpaid child support docket fees and will now attempt to collect the $661,137 owed in court fees.