Indiana soil districts elect supervisors and inspect landfills

District land occupiers meet and elect one supervisor, and the district shares its annual report with local government, the public, and the state soil conservation division. The meeting is for all land occupiers in the district, and the election is for one supervisor. The meeting takes place during the first quarter of each calendar year. The supervisor’s three-year term begins on the meeting date.

The district chairman appoints an election committee to select and nominate candidates and conduct the supervisor election. The committee handles elections for elected supervisor positions in the district. The committee consists of a supervisor as chair and two interested county residents; associate supervisors and soil conservation division staff cannot serve. If the committee does not meet the requirements, no election is held, and the district governing body fills the positions under the vacancy rules. The chairman appoints the committee by October 31 and sends its members’ names to the state board by November 1. The committee sends its candidate list by December 1.

Each district inspects landfills within its boundaries for compliance with state erosion and sediment control rules and sends inspection reports to county and state officials. A landfill for this purpose is a facility where solid waste is placed on or beneath the ground, with listed exceptions including surface impoundments and injection wells. The inspection concerns compliance with rules on erosion and sediment control. Inspections occur once before July 1 and once after June 30 but before December 31. The inspector sends a written report within 10 days of each inspection.

The state soil conservation division matches eligible district funding, and the Department of Agriculture provides support and carries out listed agricultural duties; the Indiana Land Resources Council law is repealed. Matching funds go to soil and water districts. The listed support and duties belong to the Indiana Department of Agriculture and named state boards and agencies. The match is one dollar for each eligible dollar a district receives, up to $10,000 per district; if total claims exceed the amount appropriated, payments are reduced proportionately. A district must certify its funding and provide its annual financial statement by March 1 to receive funding; money received must be spent for district purposes. These provisions take effect July 1, 2026. The division makes matching payments by July 15 each year; districts must provide their annual financial statement by March 1.