Hartford City Racetrac Area Flooding Stalls on City-County Jurisdictional Line

From the Blackford County Drainage Board meeting on May 4, 2026

Hartford City utilities representative Brad presented a persistent flooding problem near the racetrac area at Jefferson Street and Rice, where water pools knee-deep despite a 60-inch drainage tile installed about five years ago. The primary cause is agricultural drainage from the farm directly south pushing water into the low spot. The Harrison Township Fire Barn also floods in this area.

A proposed fix exists: route water east to East Creek through approximately two blocks. But the project faces a jurisdictional complication — roughly half the affected acreage is within Hartford City limits and half is in the county.

County Surveyor Paul Shriever explained that while existing county drains can be maintained within city limits, establishing new drains across jurisdictions is legally complicated.

Brad and Shriever were tasked with consulting county attorney Aubrey and potentially a land use attorney to determine how the city and county can cooperate on the project. The county currently does not have a land use attorney.

Source: YouTube transcript — Blackford County Drainage Board Meeting, May 4, 2026

Some information may be inaccurate due to video audio quality.