At a special joint meeting of the O’Brien and Osceola County Drainage District Trustees meeting held February 7, 2023 at the Melvin American Legion both boards approved the annexation of Drainage District 12 (DD12) into DD39. ISG Engineers have been studying three drainage districts that allow water in Melvin and the areas south and east to drain away. The annexation has been under consideration since May 2022. DD38 has 15 parcels reaching 292.50 acres within the new DD38 boundaries. All of DD38 contains 3029.39 acres.
The study of DD38, DD39 and DD12 have been ongoing since May 2022. A request by an O’Brien County landowner to tie his private tile into a drainage district outlet led to the study.
The public hearing held by the joint boards of trustees (these boards of trustees also serve as boards of supervisors for their respective counties) considered the engineer’s report and recommendations. The public hearing brought the public together with the decision-making bodies and with the engineers for questions and explanation.
The study revealed that there are two tiles that channel water from the areas incorporated in to each drainage district, one tile for each DD. Both tiles empty water into the same open ditch beginning at the intersection of Taft Avenue and 260th Street in Osceola County.
The study used current Iowa drainage law to determine the value of drainage received by each parcel of land within its respective drainage district. That process is called reclassification.
Landowners do not pay for the reclassification or for the annexation. Land within a drainage district can be assessed based on a complex formula for its benefit (from the removal of water) only when work is done to any facility of a drainage district.
Until a tile of a district or a clean out of the ditch or other work is required, there is no cost. Most of Melvin is in DD39.
Both Boards of Trustees voted in favor of a Resolution of Necessity, allowing the reclassification and annexation to become final.