The Elkhart County Board of Commissioners has voted unanimously to dissolve the Goshen Dam Pond Economic Improvement District, ending a special taxing district created more than a decade ago to fund dredging along the Elkhart River.
The district was formed in 2014 to collect assessments from nearby property owners to remove sediment from the pond behind the Goshen Dam. While some labor and funding were committed early on, the project never secured the millions of dollars needed to complete the work. The scope was later reduced, and a final attempt shifted the focus from recreation to flood control.
A 2019 study found dredging would not prevent future flooding, including events like the 2018 flood in Goshen. The city and county withdrew from an interlocal agreement in 2020, and commissioners ended the district’s taxing authority in 2022.
Dozens of riverfront residents attended Monday’s meeting, with many urging commissioners to direct the remaining funds toward conservation or restoration efforts along the river rather than restarting dredging. Some said the river is already transitioning back to a more natural state.
“The silt has filled in enough that swans are building their nests there and also beavers,” said homeowner Bud Wulliman. “So the river itself is returning to a river rather than being a pond.”
A smaller group of residents argued the remaining money should be returned to those who paid into the district. Tim Hoogenboom, who lives near the west side of the pond, said homeowners were promised dredging work that never materialized.
“The money that was, in my mind, stolen from us for the last 10 years go back to the residents who paid that in,” Hoogenboom said.
Commissioners said refunding the assessments would likely cost the county more than the amount remaining, noting that some of the money has already been spent and that tracking individual payments would be difficult.
“It would be beyond a logistics nightmare, and it would cost the county more money to distribute and track down everybody and every penny that paid in,” Commissioner Suzie Weirick said.
The board dissolved the district Monday but did not decide how the remaining funds will be allocated. Commissioners said they will determine at a later date whether the money is directed toward conservation efforts or another use consistent with the district’s original purpose.
