By DAVE SCHULTZ
Wells County Surveyor Jarrod Hahn has been appointed by Gov. Eric Holcomb to serve on the Drainage Task Force, a group set up by the Indiana General Assembly during its most recent legislative session.
The task force is to include six members of the Indiana Senate, six members of the Indiana House of Representatives, and seven other individuals.
According to the legislation establishing the task force, the group has three tasks:
• Review the responsibilities of landowners and state and local authorities under current laws relating to the drainage of land.
• Make certain determinations concerning drainage and regulatory matters.
• Determine whether the balance between state authority and local authority over drainage of agricultural land favors state authority more in Indiana than in neighboring states.
Hahn is one of two county surveyors on the task force. The other one is Bill Emerson of Lake County.
Others appointed by Holcomb to the task force include:
• Jeff Healy of Plainfield, vice president of Banning Engineering.
• Dave Knipe of Greenwood, director of the Division of Water for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
• Martha Clark Mettler of Indianapolis, assistant commissioner with the Office of Water Quality for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
• James Ramsey of Arlington, operations manager of Ramsey Farms Ag Enterprises.
• Steve Slonaker of Centerville, appraiser and farm manager with Slonaker Farm Management.
The task force is to issue a report on its findings no later than Dec. 1, 2023. The report will go to members of the General Assembly and to the governor.
daves@news-banner.com
