Edgar Peterson, chairman, called the August 13, 2004 meeting of the Land Committee to order in Room 163 at the Burnett County Government Center. Land Committee Members present: Ed Peterson, Larry Main and Phil Lindeman. Others present: Helen Steffen, County Clerk; Joanne Pahl, Treasurer; Kathy Swingle, County Surveyor; Judy Dykstra, Deputy County Clerk and Steve Stroshane, Polk-Burnett Systems Operations Engineer.

Larry Main made a motion, second by Phil Lindeman, to approve the minutes of the July 12, 2004 Land Committee meeting. Motion carried.

Helen updated the committee on the eviction of former owners from tax deed property in the Village of Grantsburg. The sheriff served a judgment of eviction on Mr. Scott Crocker. Mr. Crocker contacted Helen Steffen and said he hadn't been aware this would happen and wanted an extension of time. The Crocker's attorney knew of the eviction and Helen Steffen and David Grindell, Corporation Counsel, decided to grant the Crockers until August 31, 2004 to vacate the property. If they have not left by that date, the county will need a writ of assistance to remove them. Child Protection has been notified that children are involved.

The county continues to have a land locked forty-acre parcel for sale for $75,000 located in the Town of Meenon since the June 2003 land auction. Because the county may record a tax deed for the front forty, providing access for the land locked parcel, the question was raised if the back forty should be withdrawn from sale at this time. The committee was in agreement with this.

Polk-Burnett requested an easement or permit to install an underground, 7,200-volt electric distribution line following the routing of the existing driveway located on county owned land described as: Lot 9, CSM Volume 2 page 19 located in the NE ¼ NE ¼ and Government Lot 3, Section 36-40-15. The line would extend to the cabin and parcel of land owned by David Bear, located south of the county owned parcel.

Another item on the agenda involving the same parcel is the encroachment of David Bear's buildings on county land. Corporation Counsel has recommended either surveying the property or utilizing the Land Surveyor's Office to provide a description of the encroachment area and deeding it to the Bear's to prevent a claim of adverse possession. Kathy will check on the cost of a survey. The county has no recorded easement for ingress or egress to the 6.95-acre county owned parcel. If Bear's property has access from the south, the county may be able to exchange the encroached land for a recorded access from the south.

Positive and negative aspects of having an electric line located on the property include cheaper access to electricity and possibly having to move the line in order to meet building setbacks. Larry Main made a motion, second by Phil Lindeman, to approve Polk-Burnett putting in an underground line following the existing driveway. Phil Lindeman made a motion to amend the motion to permit the line, if it allows an adequate setback from the high watermark. The motion died for lack of a second. Motion carried.

Tom Swenson is preparing an assessor's plat for property located in the Town of Blaine that includes a one-acre parcel owned by the county. McGraw Lake Road runs through the parcel. Because of zoning issues it might be a good time for the town to move the road right-of-way to the east, which would impact county owned land. Several possibilities for the small triangle of land on the west side of McGraw Lake Road are to deed the land to the township or to create outlots and deed them to the adjoining landowners; the committee thought creating outlots was the better solution. Because the property on the east side of the road may be a buildable lot and adjoins county forestland, Kathy will contact Jake Nichols, Administrator of Forestry and Parks, about Forestry interest in using the property.

Meeting adjourned.

Judy Dykstra
Deputy County Clerk