MARSHALL — County drainage ditches were the focus of a few different items of business for Lyon County Commissioners on Tuesday. Commissioners acted to approve a resolution certifying assessments for five different ditches. Later on at the same meeting, commissioners approved a financing agreement with Redwood County for Joint Ditch 15.

Commissioners were presented with a resolution that would certify assessments for drainage system costs on Lyon County Ditch 69, County Ditch 11, County Ditch 55, County Ditch 4 and Lyon County Judicial Ditch 2. The resolution recommended assessment totals for each ditch system, as well as interest rates and the number of annual installments for assessment payments.

For CD 69, the recommended assessment total was $650,000, with five annual installments and an interest rate of 5%. For CD 55, the recommended assessment total was $100,000, with three annual installments and an interest rate of 5%. For JD 2, the recommended assessment total was $250,000, with three annual installments and an interest rate of 5%.

Lyon County Auditor/Treasurer Aurora Heard said the resolution also included a total of $125,000 in assessments on CD 11 and $150,000 on CD 4. However, she said the county could increase the assessment totals on those two ditches to potentially leave a higher balance in the ditch accounts. The option she presented to commissioners would have a total of $150,000 for CD 11, and $160,000 for CD4.

In two separate votes, commissioners opted to approve the two higher totals for CD 11 and CD 4. Commissioners also voted to pass the resolution certifying the ditch assessments.

JD 15 resolutions approved

Later at the county board meeting, commissioners were presented with a draft financing agreement for improvements on Joint Ditch 15. JD 15 benefits land in both Lyon and Redwood Counties.

In the draft agreement, Lyon County would issue up to $6 million in general obligation bonds for JD 15 and other Lyon County ditch projects, with an interest cost not to exceed 5%. Redwood County would pay Lyon County a portion of the bond payments, with the Redwood share to be determined at the time of the sale of the bonds. The Redwood County share would be based on the portion of the JD 15 costs in Redwood County compared to the total costs of the ditch project, the agreement said.

Lyon County commissioners voted to approve the financing agreement.

On Tuesday afternoon, Lyon and Redwood County Commissioners also met over Zoom as the drainage authority for JD 15, and approved a resolution setting drainage system assessments, installment schedules and interest rates for ditch improvements.