Alesson learned

CarrollCountyCommissioners took a page fromthe recent county history book and studied it for its lessonMonday morning.

Remember back in 2000 when the then sitting commissioners invited the Twin Lakes Regional Sewer District into the county to providewhatwas determined to be a needed service at the time? Is there anyone who does not know how that has turned out so far?

The county drainage board, i.e. commissioners, were facedwith a similar situationMondaymorningwhen surveyorWayne Chapman asked themto sign an agreement withHowardCounty, containing awaiver for participation to provide drain work on a shared drain. Howard County would in turn assess Carroll County property owners for the cost of the portion of thework done inCarrollCounty.

Until about two years ago, the commissioners probably wouldn't have thought twice about the agreement. They would have thought itwas needed service andwould have dispensed with the paperwork in short order. They might not have questioned the need for representation at the decision making level for the project.

However, times beingwhat they are and all that proverbial water under the bridge has no doubt changed some thought patterns of our county leaders. They questioned the action Monday morning. They sought the advise of their legal council. And in the end, they decided they needed to be more involved. They decided to host a publicmeeting to ensure all property owners know about the proposedwork and knowwhat theymight be getting into.

Sometimes there really is a silver lining after all!