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HomeMy WebLinkAbout640178.tiffAttorney It would be beneficial to myself if the questions be directed to my partner or myself with respect with to the manner in which we propose to approach the formation of this district. The reason that the bounds are designated as they are set forth. We are trying to accomodate to the best of our ability and to also suggest and aid the people who are representing the petition and any information they might have concerning the proposed district. Mr. Shultz; Do you have the proof of publication? Attorney: S DOOM,/ Yes, there are the proof of publication, the tax certificate, certified as of the date of the petition or close to it - as contained here, now ther are two separate pages, one contains the later certificate as we had planned to do this back in December and were not able to. These are the changes and this is the tax roll indicating that there /.,yn/ 7g is a majority of the landowners signing as petitioners, and a majority of the acreage and we are fairly well over on the number and considerably over on the acres so that we didn't have to bother to get it exact, also the original copy of the petition, and a copy of the proposed district. Mr. Shultz We will be happy to file this, Do any of the landowners have anything they might care to say at this time. Attorney Just as a point of interest, before you get into it, the lbjections that can be made by a landowner is to the fact that he is not going to be in the distict or his land would not be benefited by the district. I can read the applicable statute if it would help you. Mr. Shultz: Attorney: Mr. Shultz: Mr. Wagner: Just give the statute number 47-1-8 CRS 1953 John Waggner do you have anything you would care to say? I am here in behalf of Mrs. Wagner, my wife, and she owns the southwest quarter of Section 17. I objeto that in - her land will not be benefited to be included, I don't have any objections to this because I think it is necessary. Mts Wagner has no drainage problems, she has gone to the expense of buying a full right in the trunk line drain that goes clear to the creek.., known as the Wagner Drain. She has a right for the entire place in that and as far -as waste is concerned its nearly the same story. She has a waste way that goes all the way to the creek and there is only 8 acres in this while tract where the waste water can not be taken to the creek in her own waste way to the creek. Now it would be a silly thing for us to run water into that lake in favor of pumping it out again. And another thing I would like to bring out this piece of land that is represented here slopes away 3 from the lake is 3/4th of it. You could not get water back to the lake unless you a ditch around it. At the lower end of it where it points out here down next to the highway, it used to be by the Bindshaw Ditch and some of that water could not be taken to the east inner waste ditch, but now that we have an underground ditch it does not interfere anymore. All but one acre of that corner goes east. Mr. Shultz; Knowing the place up there, I have to agree with you because I know how your land lays. Louis Bein: I do not agree with John Wagner figures as to the amount of water - land - that slopes into the lake. I will say that this line is drawn to follow the Bindshas Ditch and everything west of this ditch did go into Newell Lake and went into there for many years and contributed as much probably as the average amount of land in this area toward the increase in this lake. This 28ke:in -1952 was no problem at all. In a matter of ten years, it raside 25 or 30 feet vertically and it all came from the extra use of Grand Lake Water. Now since the last two years this ditch was removed and as a result there is a considerable amount of this portion of John's land that does now drain to the east but it did not until two years ago and I say this land did contribute to the filling of Newell Lake as much as any of it. Now whether or not there is 8 or 10 acres I do not know, this could be measured and adjusted maybe. As far as the Wagner Drain is concerned, there are no trunk lines going to this area at all. Mr. Wagner: She (Mrs. Wagner) has a full right in that trunk line. Mr. Bein: Yes, you surley have a right in the Wagnr Drain. Mr. Wagner: Well, wr"ave a drain within a hundred yz 's of that we can hook onto and we don't have any seepage there at all, it is high pump land and contributes a very little water to the lake. You don't pump water up on a hill and then run it off into the lake. You use it when you pump it up. Mr. Good: There are no drainage that go into the Wagner Drain on that portion of land that will be included here. Mr. Being It has been hard to set this district up, a lot of people feel it may or may not contribute to the problem of the lake, some have drains, some have surface drainage out of it and some had noen, and this is the only piece of ground that has objected to coming in. I know that on the south there are two quarter sections that a good share are out entirely, but these people are coming in with all their land to simply make this more feasible for everyone and I feel that in as much as this grand was in the drainage area for up until two years ago and contributed to this lake rising, that it should be included. Mr. Wagner: Louis, I would like to correct you on one thing, the east part of that never had one drop of water ever run in to that lake. It either went into your ditch or went right across into our ditch. You can't get it around there, you couldn't get it there, it wouldn't go. Mr. Shultz: Louis would you state about how many acres of the Wagner land would drain into the lake. Mr. Hein: At present, no I can't state, this could be measured, I would think an adjustment on this would be alright with me if they draw a line across there. This isn't going to be expensive, I think the cost on this will be about $10.00 an acre scattered over a 10 year period. And 8 acres is not going to hurt anyone. Mr. Wagner: I wuld be willing to make an adjustment,,I.want to pay for what I run in there and I think this thing should be set up so everyone pays fot the the water they run in the lake. The acre basis is not right at all, one acre produces water and another one doesn't. I don't know what would you say 7 or 8 drains (farms) into the lake. No consideration or determination as far as I am concerned has ever been made to try and find out what water they produced. They are the boys that fill the lake up. Mr. Bein: Mr. Ewing: Mr. Rein: Mr. Ewing: Mr. Rein: Mr. Goods If you get into this problem you get to ascertain the acre foot of water know that there are drains that come into the complication of trying make it impossible John. Sure I off of certain lands, but how are you going to measure the water in terms of as opposed to irrigation water running off, and to me you have to hit a balance and practical way of getting around it and go ahead. That would be quite variable different times depending on It would vary as to the time the next. the amount of water contributed at the amount of irrigation being done. of year, it would vary from one year to In other words you think this would be more feasible to just take a set figure to make it more equitable to all people concerned. Yes, we felt this is the only way we could get out of it. Once you start an engineering survey to measure the amount of water running out of each one of these drains you carry this on back up to where the drains terminate, I feel this would cost more than the project. I might insert, that there is a solution provided for this in the statutes there is a statutory procedure of setting up the amount that these particular lands should contribute to the expense of the district. This is laid out in statute and pretty well has to be conformed to like in the other districts, a great deal of discression has to be put 5 in the Board of Directors that are finally elected to pursue the administration in this particular district. It provided that the Board of Directors and this is a rough background on this, it provided that the Board of Directors will set up classes of acerage, of approximately 40 acres per track. That they will start with a 100 percent and will designate those who will get the maximum benefit from the drainage system at 100 percent and then they designate right down the line a percentage of a 100 percent that they feel the other tracts of land derive in benefit from the particular drainage district. Now that is a rugged thing to do but as Mr. Bein has pointed out it is almost impossilbe to come to an exact figure but at least there is discretion there but they do anticipate that the Board of Directors will make an effort to divide the expense in accordance with the benefit that is derived by the land that are included within the bounds, So even though you do include the total acerage here in the initial bounds there is still a provision of discretion left to the board and directors to adjust the assessment made on individual tracts to reflect the amount of benefits that those tracts are deriving from the district and perhaps that would be the proper solution to the objections of a lot of people that they don't derive the same benefits from this that others would. Mr. Bein: Mr. Good The only one that has raised objection to this so far is Mr. Wagner I think that the chore of saddling a board with the responsibilities of classifying this large district in terms of 40 acres is just impossible and I think that I would rather adjust the situation with Mr. Wagner, in what he thinks is fair and what we think is fair and remove this much land from the district. I believe this can be done at this time Well actually Lew, at the time we organized this initially we attempted to do it on the unanimous base, so that there wouldn"t have to be the the expense of election publication, the substantial expenses that are incurred through the longer procedure which of course we did have finally to pursue, if you can come to an agreement with the landowners there is no reason why the landowners in the district can not agree to a means of apportionment of the tax, the statute does provide however for means of providing another way to approach it if you can't reach that agreement. Mr. Bein: Mr. Wagner: We have gone this far, Mr. Wagner of course is the one who prevented us from having a unanimous agreement and at not time has he made any proposal to us as to what he will accept. I made the proposal to Mr. Brooking that I would go in on any fair basis and I told you the same thing in the bank that day, that I would go along with whatever was fair. As far as the proposal is concerned, I didn't write out exactly what I would do and what I would't it didn't seem that anyone was interested. Mr. Shultz: We feel here that it is your problem to arbitrate this thing to make it fair and justifiable to everyone concerned and I am sure that John Wagner will cooperate and I feel positive of that, so I believe if it was done here today it would be a good thing. The adjustment to be made here today John, this is the place to do it here right now, have it settled. Then as I understand it they can go ahead with the district Is that correct counselor? Mr. Good: Yes, this is what this hearing is for is to adjust boundaries. Just to adjust the boundaries. We can hear the objection of anyone to either add to the boundaries or subtract from the boundaries and come to a conclusion on that base. The description can be adjusted to reflect that and procede with the election and so forth. Mr. Wagner: It would have been a lot better if the people who has started to make this district if they had gone to the trouble to consult me before putting the land in there. The district was made and I was in it before I heard about it. Mr. Bein: This is not quite true, we took this petition to you on a voluntary basis and we showed it to you and you said you wouldn't sign it you didn't say you would accept a certain portion in the district you just said you didn't want to be in it, so therefore we had to go through this mandatory election procedure. I think if you had come in and said this portion of it should be in I think we would have gone along with you because we had everyones signature but not yours, at that point. But this is past history, let us see what we can do. Mr. Wagner: There is no point of us arguing any further, you aay one thing and I say another, lets drop that part of if. Louis, what do you thing is fair? Mr. Bein: How many acres are in that parcel 22, approximately 53.4 acres. Mr. Wagner: Thirty-five acres of that is pump land and is high and dry. Mr. Bein: Well its irrigated. Mr. Wagner: So is that right across the road of Mr. Cooks as far as that is concerned, Mr. Bein: Mr. Wagner: Mr. Bein: Mr. Wagner: Mr. Cook is not There is also some land down there in the Mattis Nelson land. But Louis we will agree that it is irrigated. Thats right But it don't produce waste water, no one turns the water in there at night because they don't want to go set it or on Sunday when water is plentiful_ that it wh�4 .... this lake. People around it that don't take care of their water will turn it in there and us neighbors siet around there and pull our hair out cause we have to pump it out. Mr. Greip: Mr. Wagner: Mr. Shultz: We also have the problem of storm water too. As far a natural rain is concerned, I don't think we are concerned with it. That lake never filled up until we started to irrigate. As far as the natural run off the county has three miles of road there to drain into it. The state highway has a mile and an eighth of road there. I don't believe that part should be taken into effect into the account of the natural run off. It always did drain there. How many acres John, do you feel you have that lays toward the lake that is the question that is in my mind and now I am pretty familiar with the area. Mr. Wagner: You mean that slopes toward the lake. Mr. Shultz: Thats right, including the pump land. Mr. Wagner: Probably 15 acres, nothing on the south slope goes toward the lake. Mr. Good: Would you settle for 15 acres. Mr. Wagner: Probably 15 acres all total. There are 7 acres on the north end that I can not drain the water back the other way. But Mr. Shultz asked me what sloped toward the lake, that is what slopes toward the other slopes away. It was never in that drainage basin. Mr. Shultz: If I can recall the location there and its kind of a hog .:back, you hit the top of the hog back and the water splits and goes both ways, is that right? Group Present: Thats right 9 Mr. Wagner: There is a little ridge that runs down the north side about the center of it and one goes to the east and the other goes back to the west toward the lake. Mr. Shultz: Well I feel that at this time, and the Board does too, I'm sure that if you people can arbitrate the acerage that you (figure of 15 acres) now is that agreeable to you people, you other landowners in the area? Edmond Greip: It is satisfactory with me with that figure to get things going. Glen Brooking: I would be satisfied with that. Louis Bein: This would be satisfactory with me. Charles Lucas: I would be satisfied with this, it seems to be the only piece of land mine sets up here in the corner, mine is farther away than Johns, probably there is less of my land draining into this than Johns, but I am willing to go along with it. Mr. Shultz: Well as I understand that was all that was in the way to getting this thing - district - set up without an election, is that correct Councelor? Mr. Bein: We had contacted everyone in the district knowing John was going to be against this thing and we had three people who said if John Wagner will sign this thing we will too. Now as long as we have gone this far with it, I would hate to try and go back and gather these signatures up, but I don't think we can get them anymore, I think it will have to be an election. You think it will have to come to an election. Mr. Shultz: Mr. Bein: We have wasted two years on this, a lot of people have changed and have moved 10 Mr. Ewing: Mr. Being Mr. Ewing: Mr. Seine Mr. Shultz: Mr. Good: Mr. Wagner: Mr. Good: If Mr. Wagner agrees to the 15 acres will that necessitate an election? Well we would have to go back out and get new signatures from all these people in the area and I don't know if we could get them or not. In other words they have signed on the basis that he was goint to put in 53.4 acres in its entirety. This thing has been rocking along for two years, in that time we put in a lot of work and effort, and we have gone this far with the election. I would just as soon see the election. What are your feelings Mr. Counselor? May I clarify one point, do I understand that the 15 acres is to take care of tract 22 alone and then tract 21 will remain the same and all other tracts in the district will be as we presented them here on this map. I didn't hear I am sorry, John, I understand that the 15 acres that we have determined on will knock tract 22 of 53.4 acres orginally down to that figure, to the 15 acres, that all other tract indicated in the district will stand orginally proposed. Now with respect to the election, I feel that it would be to the benefit of the district to go ahead with the election procddure at this time. We have expended between one and two hundred dollies on the publication to this point I would hesitate to go ahead and attempt to get all the signature again on another petition which would entail drawing a new petition. The contents of the petition has to be different on the voluntary basis, than does the contents of a petition going through an election. We did have it on that base but circumstances have changed it would require an entirely new draft, I think perhaps that the effort and the expense involved from 11 point on would be comparable to going the other route. We might as well pursue this one at this point. Mr. Shultz: Well it appears no it would be up to you folks to go ahead and advertise and get your election set up. Attorney: There is one thing that needs to be clarified and that is to outline the boundaries, that we have set up in the petition, if we are going to draw back from 53.4, we will have to have some determination made, as to what 15 acres out of this 53.4 will be included to adjust and the papers that I have drafted here today I left an allowance for inclusion or exclusion of land so that we can use our orginal boundaries as they stand and just exclude out a certain area and if we could have a determination as to what area is excluded we can go ahead with all the papers, that we have already prepared for the Board of County Commissioners. Mr. Shultz: I believe that would be up to Mr. Wagner and his neighbors to kind of sketch that out. Mr. Goods I suggest that perhaps that we could simply designate the west 15 acres particular tract, as being included and excluded the easterly 35 or 38 acres or the difference which would be the easiest way to designate and also to hold the description down. Attorneys It make no difference to me, but I would rather have it where it actually slopes through. Would this be ( shows Mr. Wagner the map) say the top 15 acres. Mr Wagner: If you want to do it that way, lest say the top of the knowl, the ditch comes out here, this ditch runs down her, but there is 6 acres here under irrigation not pump land, all goes toward the lake, then this strip right here. It wouldn't be a straight 15 acres. 12 Attorney: Well we could take the north 6 acres and then take the rest on the west side of the road. This is up to the top of the hill. What we are going to do is to take the boundaries as now proposed and exclude from the district all the land except the north 6 acres of this tract 22 and actually if we described it would be the west 9 acres out of the tract below that 6 acres. Would this be agreeable to you. Mr. Wagner: Yes. Attorney: Would this be agreeable to the Board Mr. Shultz: It would be acceptable to the Board. Attorney: Otherwise we would have to have a survey to go out and get a rectangular tract there. Mr. Shultz: Now it is a matter of advertising it for an election is that correct? Attorney: Well sir, there is an order to be entered - this is the order for the Establishment of the Proposed District and for your Boards information, this is provided by Statute 47-1-9. These are the copies we have prepared here, and there is a further order by the Board required by Statute 47-1-11 which we have prepared. Now I don't know if these are in the exact forms that the Board generally uses if they are not they can use the foremat. The other one is the notice of election for proposed Newell Lake Drainage District and this has to be published. Mr. Good: We are back to the same old quandry whether the same two weeks means two publication one a week or three publication one at the beginning and one at the end and one in the middle. If this would be okay could we discuss it with the petitioners Mr. Shultz: That is your perrogative. 13 Attorney That is al we have right now unless you would like to determine now the date the election will be. Now that is kind of contingent upon whether we puslish 2 or 3 times. Do you want to go through this publication again Mr. Bein? Mr. Bein: No but I think we could allow three weeks, to make up your mind to see if you want tow or three. THE FOLLOWING WAS STATED TO CLARIFY WHY4THE ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN WELD COUNTY, COLORADO Attorney: We would have published the article in Berthoud, except that statute Mr. Shultz: requires that it be published in a newspaper that is actually published in the County of Weld and this kept us from publishing it in the Berthoud paper or we would have. There was certainly no intent to not inform anyone, it was just strictly that the statute requires that it be published in Weld County. We even discussed the possiblity' of publishing over there, only the statutes say otherwise. It gets to the point where it is quite expensive. I believe as far as this board is concerned, we would leave the election date with you people - whatever you decide. Attorney: Why don't we set it for , the place of the elction is set forth in the notice that I prepared and the election will include only those persons who own land within the area and there are certain other qulaifications that are set forth in the notice and we are required to set the polling place which we have designated as the Little Thompson Grange Building, Weld County, Colorado, The names of the judges we have set are: Mrs. Bein, Mrs. Lucas and Mrs. Showalter. The two alternates are: Mrs. Cook and Mrs. Pennecock. We have also proposed or listed three persons who would be eligible for directors as required by the statute and these three persons are the Attorney: Mr. Shultz: Attorney: Mr. Shultz: 14 same as the petitioners on the petition and the only blank that is left open for the signature of the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, County Clerk and the seal and also the date for the election. Is there any particular day of the week on which to hold the election? THE DAY SET FORTH BY THE ?GROUP WAS TO BE A WEDNESDAY Mr. Good: Then that would make it the 24th of June, let see this is the 27th we could hardly get in three weeks before the 17th, we would have to set it one more week behind, which would make it the 24th of June if it is agreeable Then by statute on the second -Monday following the election the Board of County Commissioners is supposed to meet and approve the vote (Statute 47-1-17) on the canvassing of the vote by the County Commissioners. Then after the election that definitely establishes your district, is that correct? Yes sir, then we file this of record and the Board of Directors are designated at the election. Meeting adjourned. Hello