County Surveyor

Hancock County Surveyor, Susan Bodkin told Kiwanis about the various duties of the office none of which include surveying.  Susan was with the Soil and Water Conservation office for 9 years before going to work for David Smoll the previous County Surveyor.  Bodkin assumed the office in 2008 when Smoll passed away.

The County Surveyor is responsible for the following:

1.                  Supervise the construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of the regulated drains  There are 500 miles of regulated drains in the County.

2.                  Section Corner Perpetuation   The County Surveyor must keep and maintain a corner record book showing original government section corners.

3.                  County Drainage Board  The County Surveyor is an ex-officio and non-voting member of the County Drainage Board.

4.                   Serves on the Technical Committee for the Area Plan Commission

5.                  Certification to Alcoholic Beverage Commission

6.                  Private/Natural Drains  When ordered by the Drainage Board, the Surveyor oversees the removal of any obstruction so as to restore proper drainage including beaver dams.

7.                  Phase II Storm Water  The Hancock County Surveyor's Office is managing the Phase II Storm Water Program within the unincorporated portion of the county.

8.                  Benchmarks  The County Surveyor's Office keeps a record of all benchmarks in the county with elevations and descriptions, including those that have been destroyed. New benchmarks are established during the construction and re-construction of bridges and concrete culverts.

9.                  GIS (Geographic Information System)

10.              Floodplain Management The County Surveyor’s Office maintains the FEMA flood zone maps and reviews all construction related to the floodplain. 

11.              Pond Permits