(Posted Oct. 26, 2016)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
The county is ready to assess property owners for completed ditch projects.
Madison County Engineer Bryan Dhume presented final costs for 10 ditches to the Madison County commissioners on Oct. 24. The total cost is $263,000.
All of the ditches were installed on private property by petition. By law, the property owners are responsible for the cost. Assessments will be placed on their tax bills over the next five years.
The county paid for the projects up front using the engineer’s ditch maintenance fund. The county will now take out a loan to reimburse the ditch maintenance fund $237,000, the engineer’s office $22,000 for work done in-house, and $4,000 to the commissioners for mailing and advertising costs. The tax assessments will pay off the loan.
The projects were completed in various parts of the county, from South Solon to Plain City. Some involved as few as five property owners. The largest, the Walnut Run ditch in Newport, involved 70. The property owners will split the costs for their respective projects.
Some of the projects were completed recently, but at least one dates back to 2011. Dhume said that, moving forward, he would like to start the assessment process as soon as each ditch is completed and final costs are approved.
Speed reductions
The Engineer’s Office has received several requests for speed reductions in outlying residential areas. Some come directly from residents, others from township trustees on behalf of concerned residents.
One request concerns the intersection of West Jefferson-Kiousville and Kiousville-Georgesville roads in Lilly Chapel. No speed limit is posted. The default is 55 mph. Dhume is seeking a reduction to 35 mph within a quarter-mile in all directions of the intersection.
Dhume will submit the request and results of a speed study to the Ohio Department of Transportation. ODOT will use the information—car counts, speed monitoring, number of residences and businesses, spacing between driveways, etc.—to determine if a speed reduction is warranted and, if so, to what limit.
Dhume said he also has received speed reduction requests for two residential areas in the northeast part of the county: Lucas Road near Plain City-Georgesville Road and Amity Pike between U.S. Route 42 and Plain City-Georgesville Road.
