County officials are working on a plan to remove a series of log jams from Mill Creek. There are 63,843 acres on 12,360 properties in the Mill Creek Watershed. The project is expected to cost between $700,000 and $1.1 million. The City of Marysville will pay for the portion of the creek that runs through the city. (Photo submitted)
Union County officials are looking at options to help property owners pay to eliminate a Mill Creek log jam.
At a recent meeting, the county commissioners explored the option of using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) to pay for cleanup of the Mill Creek.
“Does this project count and can we make it complaint so we know we have that mechanism?” Commissioner Dave Burke said.
For more than a decade, log jams in Mill Creek have caused water to back up and flood area fields, property, ditches, even roads and streets. The log jams also collect trash and other debris in the creek.
Officials are working through a plan to clear the log jams by using a crane to remove dead or leaning trees from the actual creek as well as from the bank. Officials estimate the project will cost between $700,000 and $1.1 million. The one-time construction and annual maintenance costs will be assessed to landowners within the watershed.
Officials say they could take the project’s total price, and divide it between all parcels in the water shed or divide it equally by the total number of acres in the watershed, then assessed to each property owner based on the number of acres each has.
Officials estimate that if the county chooses to bill each property equally, each parcel will be assessed between $56 and $90. They estimate that if the county bills by the acre, property owners would be responsible for between $11 and $17.23 per acre.
“These are very rough numbers,” Jeremy Burrey, drainage maintenance supervisor for the Union County Soil and Water Conservation District, told the commissioners.
Assistant County Administrator and Budget Officer Letitia Rayl said previous commissioners “have been planning for this.” She said the county has enough money in the ditch maintenance fund to pay for the entire project, though it would likely deplete the entire find.
Officials said they believe the clean-up project meets the requirements for ARPA funds. They said the first step would be to check with County Auditor Andrea Weaver and Treasurer Andrew Smarra to verify that the project is eligible.
”The last thing we want to do is find out we need to repay this money because it doesn’t qualify,” Union County Commissioner Dave Burke said.
Burrey said the sticking point could be the long-term maintenance of the creek.
“I think the county would be on the hook for the maintenance fees,” Burrey said.
He explained that maintenance costs are assessed to the property or entity paying the initial cost. He said that if the county pays the initial cost, there is no mechanism to switch the annual maintenance cost from the county to the property owner.
Officials discussed assessing costs to the property owner but having the county simply pay the fee or having the property owner pay the cost then apply for a credit. The commissioners also discussed having the county send a check to each property owner to cover their cost.
County Commissioner Steve Robinson said he doesn’t really want the county to need to cut and send more than 12,000 individual checks.
Officials admitted the matter can become “very confusing.”
“The goal now is to figure out how to use these and deal with the maintenance,” Robinson said.
The City of Marysville has agreed to use stormwater fund to pay for the portion of the creek that flows through the city. The city’s bill will depend on which method officials decide to use to pay for the project. Of the 12,360 total parcels in the project area, 7,960, or about 64%, are inside the city but only 19% of the total acreage is in the city.
Officials estimate that if the county chooses to bill each property equally, the city will be responsible for between $450,000 and $709,000. The city would pay between $130,000 and $205,000 if the county bills by the acre.
“They (city officials) want to know, from their perspective, what their involvement is going to be because it is a big investment on the maintenance,” Burrey told the commissioners.
Burke said the Mill Creek provides drinking water for a majority of the county. He added that even if a resident’s property is not impacted by the Mill Creek, they get a benefit by using ARPA money.
“Even if you are not in the Mill Creek ditch, you win because the unused ditch funds can be used for other ditches,” Burke said.
Burrey said he is still waiting on information from the engineer’s office. He said he needs the engineer to complete information about getting equipment to the creek. The engineer also needs to review the debris removal plan. Burrey said he needs those things before he can determine a better cost estimate for the project. Property owners will be notified of the plan and the cost as well as of an opportunity to make their thoughts known to the Union County Commissioners.
Following the public hearing, the commissioners will need to give final approval for the project as well as decide how it will be funded.
Officials are hopeful that if the project moves forward, they will have agreements and design completed so they can begin work after crops are removed from the fields next year.
Burrey said that would be difficult logistically. Robinson said ARPA funds allow for administrative costs and said Burrey could potentially hire a temporary employee or contract with a service to make the timeline work.