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HB 4830

Drains: other; compensation and expense reimbursement for board members; modify. Amends secs. 72, 384, 441, 464 & 515 of 1956 PA 40 (MCL 280.72 et seq.).

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Greg Alexander and 2 co-sponsors

HB 4830 standardizes compensation and expenses for drain boards and commissioners, aligning pay with county per diems and clarifying notice and appointment procedures.

bill electronically reproduced 08/27/2025
#drains:boards #drains:draincommissioners #drains:other #publicemployeesandofficers:compensationandbenefits
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Bill Summary · HB 4830

Summary — HB 4830 (2025): Drains — compensation and expense reimbursement for board members; modify

Bill number: HB 4830
Statute amended: The Drain Code of 1956 (1956 PA 40) — amends sections 72, 384, 441, 464 & 515 (MCL 280.72 et seq.)
Primary subject: Drains; boards and drain commissioners; compensation and expense reimbursement
Companion bill: SB 2584

Purpose / Intent

HB 4830 revises procedures and payment rules under the Drain Code governing (1) appointment, notice, and meetings of boards of determination for proposed drains and (2) how compensation, mileage, and expense reimbursements are determined and paid for board members and for appointed commissioners. The bill clarifies notice requirements and some procedural deadlines tied to the board of determination process.

Key provisions (high-level)

  • Appointment of board of determination

    • If the drain commissioner is disqualified or declines to appoint, the county board chair must appoint a 3‑member board of disinterested property owners; if the chair has a conflict, the county board’s drain committee appoints.
    • Board members must be county residents but not residents of a township, city, or village affected by the drain and must not be county commissioners.

  • Compensation and expenses for board members

    • The drain commissioner shall determine reasonable compensation and approve mileage/expense reimbursement for board of determination members.
    • Where county commissioners receive per diem, board members’ pay and reimbursements shall match the county board of commissioners’ per diem and reimbursement. In counties where commissioners are not paid per diem, the drain commissioner sets compensation and reimbursements.

  • Compensation for appointed drain commissioners (sec. 384)

    • Reasonable compensation and necessary expenses for appointed commissioners are to be determined/approved and assessed against the drain (language aligns commissioner pay with amounts received from the county and permits assessment of expenses against the drain).

  • Notice, record, and procedural clarifications (sec. 72)

    • Meetings must comply with the Open Meetings Act.
    • Additional notice at least 10 days before the meeting: newspaper publication; service on county and local officials; first-class mail to landowners listed on the last tax roll. An affidavit of mailing is conclusive proof that notice was mailed.
    • Notification costs are payable by the drainage district.
    • The board may request a county treasurer statement of taxes/special assessments for the prior 3 years; if 25% or more of taxes on lands are unpaid, the petition process stops.
    • If the board dismisses the petition, no new petition for the same drain may be filed for 1 year.
    • If the board finds the drain necessary, the drain commissioner must (within specified periods) identify municipalities liable for benefits at large (within 10 days) and, absent an appeal under sec. 72a, issue a first order of determination within 20 days.

Who is affected

  • County drain commissioners (additional authority/role in setting pay)
  • Members of boards of determination (changes in how pay and reimbursements are set)
  • Drainage districts and property owners in proposed drainage districts (may bear increased notification and compensation costs assessed to the drain)
  • County and local governments (notification, potential assessments for benefits at large)
  • State legislators (drain commissioner must provide names/addresses of board appointees upon request)

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced: March 13, 2025. Committee hearings and activity occurred in April 2025. Reported, amended, and passed/engrossed in House actions dated May 2025. Electronic reproduction dated August 27, 2025. Referred to Committee on Government Operations (8/27/2025). Companion Senate bill SB 2584 filed.

Potential impacts / considerations

  • Grants drain commissioners clearer authority to set/pay compensation and expenses, potentially standardizing pay to local county commissioner per diems—but in counties without per diem, commissioner's discretion could lead to variation.
  • Increased or clarified compensation and reimbursement rules may raise project costs that are assessed to drainage districts and ultimately to benefiting property owners or municipalities.
  • The affidavit rule reduces successful procedural challenges based on nonreceipt of mailed notices.
  • The 25% unpaid tax threshold provides a clear statutory bar to proceeding on districts with high delinquency, protecting districts from projects where significant tax delinquency exists.

This summary focuses on the bill’s substantive changes to appointment, notice, and pay rules under the Drain Code as presented in the introduced version of HB 4830.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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