DECATUR IND – The Adams County Drainage Board on Tuesday heard a detailed presentation from Christopher Burke Engineering on how the county could overhaul assessments across more than 130 regulated drainage watersheds. Officials say current rates are decades old and too low to maintain the system.
Surveyor Mike Worling said many watersheds are “lower than what they should be” for proper upkeep, prompting the board to explore a countywide reassessment.
Burke Engineering outlined how a similar project was completed in Johnson County, where watershed boundaries were redrawn using modern LiDAR data and assessment rates were updated based on land use. Johnson County had 49 watersheds; Adams County has nearly three times that number.
The firm explained that commercial and industrial properties would pay more under a land‑use‑based model because of higher runoff from impervious surfaces. In Johnson County, those parcels made up about 10% of the land area but generated 62% of assessment revenue after reassessment.
Board members also discussed staffing needs. With ditch maintenance demands increasing, the board unanimously approved creating a job description for a new field position to support the surveyor’s office.
The meeting also included an update on the St. Marys River watershed management plan, which must be renewed to keep the county eligible for 319 grant funding.
The meeting adjourned at 10 a.m.