Drain commissioner: Cass, Bay counties only ones without deputies

Published 6:50 pm Friday, October 24, 2003

By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
CASSOPOLIS -- Cass County Drain Commissioner Allen F. Butchbaker's annual report is one book you can judge by its cover.
Gracing the 16-page document is a photo of the 1899 courthouse, symbolic of Butchbaker spending most of his year involved in legal actions. His office is also in the historic courthouse.
He has served as drain commissioner since 1988 and operates the office 26 hours per week.
Butchbaker said Cass and Bay are the only counties among 41 south of a line between Oceana and Bay lacking a deputy drain commissioner.
Bay County has an administrative assistant and a bookkeeper.
St. Joseph County to the east of Cass has a fulltime deputy drain commissioner and a part-time drain commissioner.
The rest of the counties surrounding Cass have fulltime drain commissioners and fulltime deputies.
Butchbaker reported that since Oct. 1, 2002, 31 of the 149 drains recorded in his office had been inspected -- some more than once.
There were no petitions received for formation of new drainage districts. Nor were there any petitions received for cleaning, maintenance or repair of drains. Most drains need cleaning and maintenance, particularly Ely Creek in Howard Township and Little Smith Lake in Pokagon Township, he reported.
Park Shore No. 2 was maintained from drain fund accounts or revolving drain funds.
In his status report on the Hilltop Road drain in Porter Township, Butchbaker reported that since the Board of Determination voted for the necessity of a new drain on June 26, 1997, Merritt Engineering of St. Joseph has designed the drains for this project and the route and courses. Final design plans, advertising for bids, letting bids, day of review of costs and apportionments and special assessments for the tax rolls will follow.
All easements have been obtained. Compensation for one easement remains to be heard in Circuit Court. Court dates have ben set and canceled three times, with the next court date now set for Feb. 10, 2004.
Application for a hazard mitigation grant has been made to the Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for flood remediation.
Floods in 1995 on Hilltop Road damaged the road and several residences along it.
The grant requests $30,000 to apply towards construction of stormwater detention basins upstream of two critical flood areas.
Ontwa Township's board passed a resolution Jan. 13 authorizing the Cass County Drain Commissioner to clean and repair the Lawndale Drain. This enclosed drain was plugged at several manholes, causing local street flooding at Lawndale Road and North Shore on the north side of Eagle Lake. Costs were reviewed March 7. The special assessment will appear on the 2003 tax roll.
Butchbaker stated that the triennial inspection of 21 lakes with 17 lake-level structures was conducted in 2002 and is scheduled next for 2005.