Trustees for Wright County's drainage districts reviewed multiple work orders and approved several invoices at the Nov. 3 meeting, then appointed an engineer to handle a petition involving railroad property.

Drainage staff detailed five work orders including blowouts on lateral tiles in DD 36 (Section 29), DD 141 lateral 3 (Section 34), DD 228-85 (plugged 20-inch tile with water surfacing), and DD 41 Section 36 (broken tile). Staff reported site photos and noted some incidents involve private tile that nonetheless affect ditch-bank integrity and thus warrant trustee action.

The trustees reviewed seven invoices: a drainage attorney charge of $487.50; two estimates for Russian weed control ($1,200 and $2,850); Mosdam Construction's $11,501.80 invoice for work where a combine fell in; Ausdam Construction's $5,930.34 invoice for a collapsed culvert; and two Black Dirt Drainage invoices totaling $62,816.86 (one for $12,883 and a larger replacement estimate/invoice of $49,933.86 for three blowouts). Trustees discussed contractor estimates and whether notifications to landowners were required for projects above notification thresholds.

A petition for repair involving railroad property on DD 36 sub-lateral 1 prompted the drainage attorney, Eric Eddy, to recommend appointing an outside engineer to help pursue the petition and to work with county counsel. Eddy referenced a prior successful appointment of Lee Gallentine of CGA on similar matters in other counties. Trustees moved and seconded a motion to appoint Lee Gallentine as the engineer on the DD 36 petition; the motion carried on a voice vote.

Trustees also noted reassignment of a contractor's work orders because of an injury and encouraged follow-up to reconcile field estimates and invoice totals for a replacement tile reported at approximately $35,000 in the field and $40,000 on the invoice. Several trustees emphasized the board's responsibility for ditch-bank integrity even when private inlets are involved.

The drainage trustees adjourned and the full board reconvened for the remainder of the agenda.