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The Clark County Fiscal Court approved a joint project with a home owners association to split the costs of repairing a failed storm water system in the Verna Hills subdivision.

Verna Hills Homeowners Association president Shelby Gill told the court Wednesday morning repairs would cost nearly $6,000 to repair the drainage system, which has sent water spewing and inches of water standing in a yard following heavy rain.

The county took possession of the drainage system in 1976, Gill said, but the line in question runs through private property and not within the county’s right-of-way on the road.

After excavating, Gill said they found five of the four-foot pipes had separated anywhere between four and six inches.

“We got it uncovered,” he said. “We want to replace it so the water doesn’t go on (private) property,” Gill said.

The HOA solicited two bids, the lowest of which is nearly $6,000, he said.

Under the agreement, Gill said, the HOA would pay for the work and the county would reimburse half when the work was completed.

Magistrate Chris Davis, who represents the district including Verna Hills, said he asked the county road supervisor to examine the situation, as the property owner thought recent road work was to blame. The lines, though, was on private property and the county could not make any repairs.

Gill called the agreement a practical solution to the problem.

Clark County Judge-Executive Chris Pace said this could be a precedent for other storm water problems in the county.

“I see this as a trial balloon,” he said, “an opportunity to work around any problems in the future.”

The court approved the agreement unanimously, with funding coming from the county’s funds earmarked for the U.S. 60 corridor.

Later in the meeting, Pace said the new courthouse boiler was installed and functioning. The former boiler failed after Christmas, and the court approved up to $150,000 for a replacement. Pace said he had not received the final cost, but he thought it would be less than $100,000.

In other action Wednesday, the court:

• voted to decline a cost-of-living increase for the fiscal court members. The county attorney also requested that he not receive the increase.

• approved a training incentive for Magistrate Greg Elkins.

• declared a vehicle from the road department as surplus property and transferred it to the animal disposal program.