(Spirit Lake)– Some landowners in a Dickinson county drainage district are in sticker shock after a project that was completed a couple of years ago came in much higher than originally planned due to legal delays. It was a topic of discussion at today’s (Tues.) Board of Supervisors meeting.
The work was done in Drainage District 48 just northwest of Spirit Lake’s city limits. The city appealed an assessment for the project that was levied against a parcel of land it owns in that area, saying it was excessive. Colin Klingbeil, an engineer with the Jacobson-Westergard firm which oversaw the project, says an out-of-court settlement was reached…
Klingbeil says a considerable amount of interest was also tacked on, increasing assessments to property owners by roughly an additional 40 percent on top of the original amount. While landowners are expressing their opposition to that, another says he lost out on an attempt to sell some land in that same area to a developer…
Affected landowners will be receiving assessments with their September tax statements. County officials in the meantime are looking into options for installment payments with little to no interest to try to ease the impact on affected landowners.
