County shelves request to contribute to suit

ALLISON — The Butler County Board of Supervisors and boards over other counties are being solicited to assist in the defense of three counties upriver from Des Moines, to the tune of $15,000.
  A resolution to lend three years of support at $5,000 a year to Buena Vista, Calhoun and Sac Counties was tabled at Tuesday's meeting.
  Those three counties are trustees over hundreds of drainage districts in the Des Moines Lobe historic glacier area. In part because of that trustee role, plaintiff Des Moines Water Works filed a lawsuit against the three counties this spring in federal court for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act ...
  Iowa State Association of Counties has [stepped in] in response to lawsuits filed to resolve issues with railroads, County Engineer John Riherd said. He said spending the money could help mitigate a future legal issue that could affect other localities. One instance was a railroad bridge across a county road, he said ...
  The county discovered earlier this month that — unknown to many — there is a historic drainage district within it, though it hasn't taxed for repairs for awhile ...
  Please read the full story in the May 21 Butler County Tribune-Journal, page 8, and Clarksville Star, page 17. 
  See also: http://www.butlercountytribune.com/content/no-drainage-districts-here-me...