By Marissa Sweatland
InkFreeNews

Editor’s Note: With the start of early voting for the May 7 primary election set to begin on Tuesday, April 9, The Mail-Journal is beginning a series of previews for contested races in Kosciusko County.

This preview features the race for the Kosciusko County surveyor position. The candidates are James Moyer and Ryan Prince. Both candidates are on the Republican ticket. The position is being vacated by Michael Kissinger.

James Moyer

James Moyer

Moyer is a graduate of Warsaw High School and holds a degree in engineering. He was employed by the largest civil engineering and land surveying company in Elkhart County for many years, surveying in a dozen counties across Indiana and Michigan. Moyer was a member of the Atwood Fire Department for 25 years where he was an officer for many years as well as the secretary for the Kosciusko County Firemen’s Association.

He served as the Harrison Township Trustee for 15 years and on the Kosciusko County Council for five years, with three of those years as the vice chairman. He has served on numerous boards, committees and organizations and is currently serving the public again as the Kosciusko County Assistant Surveyor. Moyer has been a lifetime resident of Kosciusko County, living in and raising his family in the Atwood area.

Ryan Prince

Ryan Prince

Prince is the only state licensed professional surveyor running for office, with 10 years of experience working in Kosciusko County. He graduated from Delta High School in Delaware County in 2008 and then earned a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering and technology from Purdue University.

As a surveyor at John Kimpel & Associates, Prince has worked on or supervised various projects in the county, such as boundary surveys, topographic surveys, subdivision plats, ALTA surveys and construction staking. He has also been involved in the restoration and perpetuation of section corners, which are the basis of all land surveys in Indiana. Since 2017, Prince has lived in Kosciusko County with his wife Kim and their two young children.

Questionnaire

Both candidates were asked identical questions. They were afforded up to 350 words per answer Here are their responses:

1. Is the surveyor required to have the required licenses for that office or is there another way to obtain those certifications without a license?

Moyer — “Per Indiana Code, the only requirement to hold the office of County Surveyor is to be a resident of the county and when elected, complete 24 hours of continuing education within two years. I have a degree in engineering and have worked for 7 different licensed surveyors spanning nearly 20 years.

“My experience in construction, excavation, and community service will guide me very well to be the best public servant that taxpayers have come to expect. My plan will be to organize the office and to reassign duties and responsibilities. This will allow me to eliminate a position, resulting in a new reduced budget. I can then redirect funding to retain or contract with a licensed surveyor or civil engineer on an as needed basis to satisfy the requirements of the law.

“It will continue to be my highest priority to see that the taxpayer’s money is used in the most responsible and transparent manner as I did in my previous elected positions as the Harrison Township Trustee and as a Kosciusko Council Councilman.”

Prince — “The county surveyor is not required to be a licensed professional surveyor. However, a licensed professional is required to perform or directly supervise the surveying of open or tile drains and to create the design plans and to maintain, establish and perpetuate all section corners.

“Also, any work related to the technical review of a subdivision plat or drainage design can only be conducted by the county surveyor if he is licensed or under the direct supervision of a licensed surveyor or engineer. The reason that the law does not require the county surveyor to be licensed is, in part, many smaller Indiana counties, with few or no county regulated drains, counties with no resident licensed surveyors or have no resident licensed surveyors interested in the elected position would simply be denied a county surveyor.

“Kosciusko County is not in that position; the voters have elected a licensed county surveyor for the past 64 years. Being the only licensed, professional surveyor running I will save taxpayers money by not having to contract or hire a professional surveyor/engineer to fulfill the statutory responsibilities. According to data and information supplied by the current licensed county surveyor, ‘in the past 12 months, the taxpayers of Kosciusko County saved nearly $150,000 in surveying and engineering fees on county regulated drain maintenance and reconstruction projects due to not needing to outsource those services to private firms.

“All work was performed by the current licensed county surveyor or under his direct supervision. The cost of that outsourcing would come directly from the farmers and residential landowners through their drainage assessments. The current drainage assessment rates would likely need to be increased to absorb that cost.’ Kosciusko County ranks 6th with miles of county regulated drains (1,000+), and 5th in the number of section corners (2,500+) in the State.

“The current county surveyor also provided this information regarding section corner perpetuation: ‘The additional annual cost of outsourcing the survey work on 5% of the section corners (minimum as required by law) would be $41,000 if the county surveyor was not licensed.’”

2. What do you feel the role of a surveyor is?

Moyer — “The duties and responsibilities of an elected county surveyor include the requirement to locate and witness 5% per year of the established section corners in the county. That job responsibility has been my primary duty these last 8 years.

“The surveyor is also responsible to the county drainage board to oversee the maintenance of the county regulated drains and ditches. The job begins with contacting property owners and addressing their concerns. We prepare detailed plans and estimates for the work and then as directed by the drainage board, purchase materials, let bids and hire contractors.

“The surveyor also studies and advises the drainage board on establishing, raising, or eliminating tax rates for the maintenance of county regulated drains. This also includes monitoring a brush control spray and mowing program, which under my administration will be reorganized to be more efficient and cost effective.

“The county surveyor is also a member of the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission, who makes recommendations to the Kosciusko County Commissioners concerning zoning and land development issues. I will work with the Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation district, The Watershed Foundation, the St Joe River Basin Commission and the various city and town authorities to share resources and information to reduce flooding, improve the water quality and reduce erosion throughout Kosciusko County.

“As the current assistant county surveyor, for the last 8 years, I have been working with these groups on a regular basis addressing concerns, sharing ideas and as the county surveyor I can put these ideas in to action. I am an extremely organized person and a proven good steward of taxpayer’s money. I have talked with hundreds of people across the county, listening to their concerns about government in general and spending. I will continue the practice that the surveyor’s office has always been committed to, that is listening and assisting any person in any way possible.”

Prince — ”The county surveyor has many roles, mainly section corners and regulated drains. The section corners are tied to every deed, parcel and plat in the county. Having an accurate section corner location is extremely important to the start of every landowner’s property description in the county.

“In Kosciusko County we have 1,000 miles of county regulated drains. Reducing flooding while maintain clean water in our lakes, ponds and streams is a large role and only a licensed professional can fully perform the role of a county surveyor.