DeWitt — The DeWitt town supervisor recently proposed a new plan to prevent flooding in the community by levying about $150,000 per year through the consolidation of town water districts.
Supervisor Ed Michalenko told the town board at its Jan. 11 meeting that he believes if the whole of the community each pays a little toward drainage, then the town will be able to sustain a drainage system that is good for everyone and will help mitigate the water to prevent flooding in areas that are prone to it.
“This is the most cost-effective way to handle flood control, to create a special drainage district for the whole town,” Michalenko said. “It’s everyone’s problem. The general rule is that water that falls in uphill areas will eventually move downhill … What could be a relatively nominal fee for every tax parcel has been traditionally centered in a few districts. To make a small region pay for water infrastructure projects is prohibitive in that area.”
In the past, both water and lighting districts in the town had been consolidated, and a consolidation of the drainage district would work a similar way, Michalenko said.
Currently, parcels in the flood-prone drainage districts are taxed about $35 per unit for residential, or $75 for commercial units, said Michalenko, but after discussing this issue with the town comptroller, expanding a tax of about $5 to $10 per parcel for everyone in the town would raise about $150,000 per year to go toward a drainage fund.
Parcels that were charged for two or more units in the most recent tax bills will be refunded, but for parcels that do not meet this criteria, the money will go toward the fund for the consolidated drainage district. Michalenko said refunding all of the recent tax bills would be a “herculean effort.”
The consolidation must first be approved by the town board, and Michalenko’s plan is currently in the early idea stages, but he said he hopes the town will approve and will be able to establish a town-wide drainage district by May 1.
