INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana drainage task force members voted against sending a list of recommendations to the governor and legislators during their final meeting on Oct. 25.

The committee was tasked with studying state drainage laws, and the responsibilities of landowners and state and local authorities under current laws related to the drainage of land, co-chair Sen. Jean Leising (R-42nd district) has said. The committee was to make determinations and recommendations concerning drainage and regulatory matters, she noted. It studied whether the balance between state and local authority over agricultural land drainage favors state authority more in Indiana than in neighboring states.

The task force must send a report to Gov. Eric Holcomb and legislators by Dec. 1. The task force, which met two times last year and three this year, includes legislators from both parties, county surveyors, and representatives from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Before the vote on whether to include recommendations in their final report, task force members discussed nearly 30 suggestions submitted by members. Twenty of those recommendations were approved, including those calling for updating and revising the state’s drainage handbook, meeting with affected landowners when state floodplain maps are to be updated, and allowing for the removal of log jam debris in a floodway by burning the debris or by another operator best management practice.

At the end of the meeting, group members voted against making recommendations in the final report. “In that case, if the majority did not support the final report with the inclusion of all the things that have been approved, we would just file an informational final report,” explained Craig Mortell, attorney with the Indiana Legislative Services Agency. “(That report) has all the information in the draft report, which is pro forma, saying when the task force met, who spoke, and so forth and so on. And then say that based on a 7-9 vote of the members, no recommendations or findings would be included in the final report.”

Before the final vote, Baird (R-44th district) said, “For all those that are in the audience and those that are at home, you might not have gotten what you wanted today. Please don’t be discouraged. There’s members here in this task force that are going to continue to fight for property rights and empowering landowners. It’s not over. We will continue this in the legislative session.”

Leising spoke about the frustration over so many split votes during the meeting. “Half of the task force wanted one thing, half wanted the other, which is so typical of the legislature. I would tell you that it’s going to be an interesting time dealing with this issue and dealing with our constituents, who, I think for the most part, at least the rural constituents, wanted a lot more.”

During the meeting, task force members also discussed several preliminary drafts that legislators could potentially turn into bills during the upcoming legislative session. Three of those proposals passed, including one to update the state drainage handbook. The two others that passed concerned logjam removal and general licenses for work in floodways.