To the editor:

The last heavy rain we had about two months ago was stressful for some in Scott City. I live on the other side of the tracks where there is no drainage system. In about 30 minutes, the whole downstairs of our house had water standing in it.

We were out a lot of money to restore our downstairs. For those without flood insurance, it can be expensive.

Along Main Street there was water shooting into the air, due to the fact that there is inadequate drainage. The ditches were overflowing, and the road we live on had water flowing over it. You could not tell one yard from another.

This is not the first time the ditches have stopped up. But if you tell the city about the ditches, you are told it is not the city's responsibility to dig out the ditches if they are on your property. It is the landowner's responsibility.

I ask the residents of Scott City: What do we pay taxes for?

RAQUEL REDDICK, Scott City