Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Eddy County Commissioners were notified that the title for the former Mill Pump and Cheers property has been quieted.
The county did not have clear title to the property because of an error in notification to interested parties when they commenced tax foreclosure in 2017. As a result, it was impossible for the county to sell the property with a clear title.
Eddy County State’s Attorney Ashley Lies recommended that the county file a quiet title action, which is a court proceeding initiated by a party claiming an ownership interest in a property. All persons claiming an interest in the land must prove to the court that they are the rightful owner. After receiving all the evidence, the court would decide who hold ownership. All interested parties were notified of the hearing and Eddy County maintained ownership by default when no one else attended the hearing.
Eddy County has now joined most other North Dakota counties in the litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors. Lies reported that the retainer for the Opioid Litigation that had been presented by Curtis Olafson at the previous meeting looked pristine and was written exactly as Olafson had presented it. Lies reiterated that joining the lawsuit would not cost the county anything out of pocket.
The 2020 Preliminary Budget Hearing was opened at 9 a.m. New Rockford-Sheyenne Superintendent Jill Louters told commissioners she was present to answer any questions about the school. Discussion was held about the estimated tax notices that were mailed out in August. Several Eddy County departments had decreased their budgets. The increases were mostly due to the additional mills the voters had previously approved for the ambulance service. Other increases included the 2020 election and the e911 program. The budget will be finalized at the Oct. 1 meeting.
The county is looking for trappers to remove beavers from Warwick Dam. Todd Weber, Eddy County Road Superintendent, reported on the work being done to clear the beaver dam on Warwick Dam. Beavers had built a large dam and beaver lodge which had plugged the culvert, causing water levels in the slough to rise. Weber reported that their first priority was to clear the culvert and get the water level down before bringing in large equipment. The water levels are down now, but Weber said there is still a lot of debris that needs to be cleared away. The busy little beavers had gone right back to work to repair their structures and had added new green material by the time Weber went to look at it again.
Weber also reported that rain delays had slowed the work on roads that they want to have completed before winter and noted other trainings that he thought would be more beneficial for him to attend, listing courses provided by the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP). The LTAP program is a nationwide effort to provide the transfer of transportation technology and technical assistance to rural and local governments. He said some of the LTAP courses best suited for Eddy County were on bridge inspection, road signing and wind towers.
There was discussion about how to repair the ceiling at the county shop by Hamar, which has insulation falling down, along with a severe mouse problem in the insulation. Weber will check at Cash and Carry Lumber to find out what kinds of products are available and will report back to the commissioners.
Commissioner Glenda Collier reported that Verle Marsaa asked if the county would put some gravel down at the fairgrounds before the Steam Thresher’s Reunion. The commissioners agreed and Weber told them that the county road crew would have it done on Tuesday.
New business for the commission included appointing a county representative for the Statewide Interoperable Radio Network. Todd Allmaras had agreed to represent the county and Eddy County Sheriff Paul Lies will be an alternate representative.
Eddy County Treasurer Kathy Anderson informed the commission that the county has two certificates of deposit nearing their maturity date. She offered two suggestions for the commissioners. They could choose to keep the two $500,000 CDs or split one of them into two $250,000 CDs in the event that they would need to take any of the money out prior to its maturity date. The commissioners agreed that it would be prudent to make the money available without having to pay as large a penalty if the money was needed in an emergency.
With new business concluded, the Preliminary Budget Hearing was closed and the meeting adjourned. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 8:30 a.m.
