Drainage Districts

In a follow up to a previous Cheat Sheet post and Prairie Rivers Network article on a lesser known local government unit that resulted in many residents seething about a massive tree clearing project on and by their properties:

Heather Hill residents press on after bid for drainage district board falls short
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The campaign to get Heather Hills resident Nick Josefik elected began in earnest just two weeks ago. But the root of the issue stretches back to early July, when residents of the neighborhood that borders the Salt Fork just north of St. Joseph discovered that a contractor hired by the commission cleared trees on their properties adjacent to the waterway...

Most of the residents were upset by the clearing, and none of them were notified of the work ahead of time, which drainage district officials said they're not required to do.

The drainage district has an easement along the river — 100 feet in each direction from the center of the waterway — allowing it to do regular maintenance to keep the waterway clear. That, in turn, helps keep water drained off farm fields and other land throughout the district.

Drainage districts are authorized by state law to levy an assessment on all landowners within their borders to cover the cost of maintaining and improving drainage, which in the Upper Salt Fork includes about 21 miles of waterway, stretching from Rantoul to about 3 miles south of St. Joseph, where it empties into the Salt Fork.

Typically, seats on drainage district commissions are filled by property owners who are farmers. Commissioners in some districts are appointed by their county boards, but in the Upper Salt Fork, the three commissioners are elected to three-year terms by property owners in the drainage district.

The full article with more details on the efforts here. One of the big hurdles is that even at small obscure government bodies, the rules are skewed in favor of incumbents:

Wardrop said some Heather Hills residents and property owners believe they deserve a spot on the Salt Fork Drainage District's three-person board.

It's in need of change, she argues, noting that the last edit to the official responsibilities of the district happened in 1955.

"Much has changed in the landscape since then," she said.

Tuesday's election was held from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Stanton Township Hall north of St. Joseph. Commissioners could have moved it to a more convenient time — like 6 p.m. — but chose not to, Wardrop said.

Josefik said people he talked with while going door to door indicated their jobs would keep them from being able to vote between 2 and 4 p.m. Tuesday. There was no option for absentee ballots, he added.

"That seems very detrimental to people who are being taxed," he said.