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More Drain Office Fun

Thursday, November 17, the Argus Press reported that nearly $748,000 in outdated assessments had been levied by the Shiawassee Drain Office. Some of these assessments were 14 years old. These assessments lapsed during the tenure of former Drain Commissioner Bernie Butcher.

Unfortunately the Argus didn’t bother to mention Butcher’s repeated requests for updated computers, additional staff, and computerized mapping software. The paper also neglected to point out that the reason for the 14 year old assessment was that Butcher determined that the relevant assessment maps were incorrect.

The Spicer Group is the company that found the outdated assessments. Oddly enough, the Spicer Group is responsible for the incorrect map. Why is Shiawassee paying the Spicer Group to find and fix problems that they caused?

The County Commissioners should have provided Butcher with the resources he needed. The burden of these outdated assessments, if they are legitimate, falls on the county government.