Anderson v. Richland County Water Res. Bd

In Anderson v. Richland County Water Res. Bd., 506 N.W.2d 362, 367 (N.D. 1993), a township was not originally assessed for a drain established in 1961, but the water resource board reapportioned benefits and assessments in 1991, determined the township benefited from the drain, and assessed landowners within the township. Because their land had not changed since the flood control district's 1961 decision that their land was not benefited by the drain, the landowners argued the water resource board's determination that the land is presently benefited by the drain was based on an arbitrary and capricious standard. The Court rejected the landowners' argument: "The landowners' contention that the Board is using an arbitrary and capricious standard for determining benefit, implicitly asks us to determine "benefit." The legislature has left the task of determining "benefit" to Water Resource Districts. Accordingly, we will not substitute our judgment for that of the Richland County Water Resource Board." Anderson, 506 N.W.2d at 367.