The next step in solving the years-long drainage problems in Mace is ready to begin, as long as the county decides how to pay for it.
During a virtual meeting Tuesday, the Montgomery County Council debated a request from the Board of Commissioners to spend $50,000 from the general fund on a portion of the fieldwork for a potential regulated drain reconstruction project.
The council voted to table the request as the county plans to reschedule a residents’ meeting about the total costs of the project that had been postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The money would cover 40% of the design work, which requires approval from the Indiana Department of Transportation because the work would be done in its easement.
Montgomery County Surveyor Tom Cummins supported tapping in to the general fund, but sought assurances that the money would be paid back once the project is funded.
County administrator Mark Casteel said the design phase has to be completed before the total cost of the project is determined and the county decides whether to move forward. INDOT pays for any drain reconstruction in its right-of-way.
Design work for drainage improvements is usually paid for through the drain fund, but Cummins said there isn’t enough money to cover the entire phase — especially if construction is still a few years away. Total engineering costs will be an estimated $100,000, not unusual for a project this size, Cummins said.
Designing the Mace project costs much more than other drain reconstructions because it’s an urban drain, where crews have to work around state highway crossings and utilities.
The Mace drain fund currently has a $5,000 deficit after funds were spent on preliminary design work, Cummins said. The fund collects about $800 annually.
“I don’t have a problem funding the design. My only question is, what is the parameters of that money?” Cummins said. “Is the idea that we will … fold that into the cost of reconstruction in the future and pay the county general back?”
“I’m always worried about the precedent we’re setting, so I always have concerns about using county general money when it’s a regulated drain,” he added, “because I’m afraid everybody’s going to come to the county with their hand out every time a drain needs reconstructed. And with 200 regulated drains in the county, we’ll go broke pretty quick that way.”
Funding has long been a sticking point in efforts to fix Mace’s drainage issue. The drain fund collects money from a small pool of residents and the community doesn’t qualify for grants because it’s an unincorporated area.
Discussions had begun with the drainage board on incorporating Mace. When the council asked whether combining Mace and Linnsburg — which is served by its own regulated drain — into a single incorporated town would improve the chances for state or federal funding, Cummins said it “wouldn’t be hard to define the need for drainage improvements in that area.”
