WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS APPROVE RIGHT-OF-ENTRY AGREEMENTS

  

Washington County Commissioners moved unanimously today (Tuesday) to authorize the county judge to execute right-of-way agreements for the storage of county equipment on private property.

The agreements are to allow the county access to enter private property to park and store equipment or vehicles used in the regular maintenance of roadways, as long as the landowner grants permission to enter the property, and only for the purpose of storing equipment.

County Engineer Wesley Stolz said one of the primary reasons for the agreements is to cut down on the travel time to get equipment to and from job sites.

Another factor mentioned by Stolz is the safeguarding of equipment against acts of vandalism, which he said the county has had to deal with somewhat frequently as of late.

County Judge John Durrenberger said the agreements are also a matter of improving safety, particularly on narrow county roads where there is not much room for vehicles to pass.  Commissioner Kirk Hanath said this essentially puts into writing what has been a handshake agreement in the past. 

In terms of how many locations will be utilized through the agreements, Stolz said the county is likely looking at “a couple dozen”, but it ultimately depends on what projects his department is working on at any given time.

Much of the court’s discussion on the item concerned language about when an agreement would expire. The original wording stated that the agreement would expire after a year or once written notice has been provided by either the county or the landowner, meaning that the county would remove all of its equipment from the property within five business days.

However, Hanath felt that having to revisit the agreements each year would lead to a lot more legwork for the court and department employees in having to track down property owners for signatures.  He said it would be easier to let the agreements live in perpetuity until they are terminated.

On the opposite end, County Attorney Renee Mueller said it would be better to obtain the signatures yearly, so that property owners have more opportunity to provide notice to the county in case they do not want the county on their property anymore.  First Assistant County Attorney Kacie Murphy added that this could apply in the event the land changes hands via a sale or a death, and it ensures the county remains transparent and in communication with the property owner. 

Ultimately though, commissioners decided to remove the language for the agreements to expire after a year, so they will last until notice is given for termination. 

Also at today’s meeting, commissioners:

• Approved the purchase of a ClearGov strategic planning module for the County Auditor’s Office for $6,880.  The county purchased ClearGov budgeting software for the office in August.  County Auditor Shawna Hollis said her office is discussing strategic planning efforts and wishes to do them in-house, and this module will allow for better collaboration and tracking of goals.
• Read a proclamation declaring September 11^th through October 9^th as the official period for the Washington County READ.
• Approved two subdivision variance requests.  One was for a land division consisting of 7.98 acres fronting Iron Bridge Road and Stevens Road in Precinct 3.  The other was for a land division consisting of 3 acres fronting FM 2502 in Precinct 4.
• Tabled an item for line item adjustments in order to allow for further review.