The potential revival of a drainage district, which has been dormant for over two decades, could lead to additional assessments for some county residents.

A total of 526 parcels in Kenosha and Racine counties have received notices of assessments they would pay for potential work on the Hoosier Creek Drainage District. The district runs from the Fox River in the west to near 264th Avenue in the east through the towns of Brighton, Burlington and Dover.

The assessments are being brought forward by the Racine County Board of Drainage Commissioners.

Board chairman Alvin Wilks said the Hoosier Creek District has been inactive for more than 20 years. The assessment, which would cover the next three years, would be for proposed brush clearing from ditches in the district.

“It’s not enough money to do all of the work, and there may be higher assessments, but we’re trying to keep it reasonable,” Wilks said.

Dan Treloar, a conservation planner for Kenosha County, said the cost is estimated at $250,000. The town of Brighton, which has 117 parcels in the district, would be responsible for $80,000 of that total. Costs are based on factors such as land size, land use and runoff. Assessment costs for Brighton properties range between $124.67 and $3,365.19.

Attorney John Knuteson, counsel for the board, said this district was re-activated due to requests from some of the larger property owners within the district.

“This process gets started when commissioners or farmers come in and say the drainage canal and the ditch lines need to be improved,” Knuteson said. “We start the process, we do a report, and we schedule a public hearing.”

Knuteson said state regulations for drainage districts do not require a majority of landowners to move forward.

“There’s not a vote, and it’s not a situation where the taxpayers decide yes or no,” Knuteson said.

Parcels in the Hoosier Creek Drainage District have been assessed for what benefits they would receive from this drainage district, with larger parcels receiving larger benefits and higher assessments. The Racine board is working with Kenosha properties because the creek originates in Racine and because Kenosha does not have a similar drainage board.

Richard Hedquist, a Brighton resident who lives within the drainage district, said he is upset about the assessment.

“After paying those taxes, all of a sudden I find out they want to put a tax on Hoosier Creek, which is two or three miles away from me,” Hedquist said. “They’re nickeling and diming us to death. A lot of people are just fed up. You can only get so much from a turnip.”

Hedquist also questioned how much of the money is going toward costs for meetings and legal representation.

“I’m not saying this (district) shouldn’t be taken care of, but I want to see a breakdown of what’s going where with this money,” Hedquist said.

A public hearing on the assessments and the drainage district begins at 6 p.m. today at the Racine County Building, 14200 Washington Road, in Sturtevant.

Knuteson said the meeting will allow residents to learn about the project and voice their concerns. He is expecting resistance to the assessments.

“People are unfamiliar with the procedure,” Knuteson said. “These districts were set up many years ago. There are a lot of concerns that people have, and we understand the financial concerns, but we also know that if you don’t keep up the canals and field tile, what results is flooding. Farmers’ fields are flooding; that’s why they came to the board.”

Wilks also said he understood objections to the assessments.

“Nobody likes to be taxed, but we have to do things to keep up with good drainage,” Wilks said.

“The system, in some respects is antiquated, but we have to comply with state laws,” Knuteson said. “The people who are going to pay the majority of the assessment are the ones who said we needed to improve the condition of the canals.”

Wilks said more work could be needed in the future, meaning more assessments.

Maps showing the ditch district can be found at the Racine County Building at 14200 Washington Road, the Kenosha County Building at 19600 75th St. and the law firm of Knuteson, Powers and Quinn at 500 College Ave. in Racine.