Shelly Ditch Meeting Wednesday

By: DeAntha Wright-Thornburg

Dear Editor,

On Wednesday, June 21, 2023, there will be continued discussion of whether the Montgomery County Drainage Board and the city can agree to vacate the William Shelly Ditch 706# to the city.

In a phone interview Friday Tom Cummins was asked if the county would vote to vacate the drain, he stated. “I don’t know what or how the board would proceed.” A meeting will be held to identify the issue. ‘All I know is there will be an update”, said Cummins.  The discussion will determine what process will be used. There are different ways to proceed. We can vacate or transfer; I don’t know how they will proceed.

Contrary to the statement from John Frey in the May meeting when he stated. “We can vote right now and abandon the drain.” His comments were in response to Mayor Barton’s presentation referencing his request for the City & County to work together. Mayor Barton asked the board to appoint one individual to work with the city. That individual was Doug Miles.

If the Montgomery County Drainage Board agrees to vacate the Shelly Ditch Drain, the following action will be taken. A notice of intention will be served to all landowners affected. A hearing date will be set. The board will receive all objections filed, hold the hearing, and issue an order to reclassify the drain.

In a June 7th statement from Mayor Barton’s office, he noted that the engineering plan for reconstruction is in place. The primary issue has been where the monies will come from to fund the project—estimated costs of 4 million dollars with the property assessment between $6,000 and $7,000 an acre.

If the Montgomery County Drainage Board vacates the legal authority over the drain, turning it over to the city, our community can finally move forward. The mayor’s statement also said funding for the project would come from property tax revenue set aside from Industrial growth in the area.

The Mayor stated he fully anticipated legal authority for the Shelly Ditch project to be transferred to the city. Finally, moving forward with an issue that residents on the east side have fought for more than 30 years.

The Mayor hopes interested individuals and residents living in the Shelly Ditch area attend the meeting in support of the Montgomery County Drainage Board to vacate the Shelly Ditch. Wednesday, June 21st, 2023. 9:30 am. Government Center North.

DeAntha Wright-Thornburg

Crawfordsville