Minutes

January 17, 2005

Land Committee members present: Land Committee Chairman Edgar Peterson and Supervisor Larry Main. Supervisor Phil Lindeman was absent.

Others present: Wanda Hinrichs, County Clerk, Jim Flanigan, Zoning Administrator and Judy Dykstra, Deputy County Clerk.

Called to order: Ed Peterson called the January 17, 2005 meeting of the Land Committee to order at 8:30 a.m. in Room 162 of the Burnett County Government Center.

Minutes: Motion by Larry Main, second by Ed Peterson, to accept the minutes of the
December 14, 2004 Land Committee meeting. Motion carried.

Report on tax delinquent parcels: Jim Flanigan reported he did not find any significant problems to prevent the county from taking the properties listed on the tax deed resolution to be presented at the January 20, 2005 County Board meeting (vacant Voyager Village lots are not checked).

Update on Land Sale Auction: The land auction of the house located at 331 West Benson Avenue in Grantsburg is scheduled for February 4, 2005 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 165 of the Government Center. The minimum bid is $42,500.00. The committee requested Judy Dykstra to contact Merlin Johnson to be the auctioneer.

Land owned by Burnett County in proposed Big McGraw Lake Assessor's Plat in the Town of Blaine: At their December 14, 2004 meeting, the Land Committee approved a motion to give small parcels of land to adjoining owners, if the parcels were not obtained by tax deed, and also contingent on the owners paying for the cost of a certified survey map. Judy Dykstra informed the committee the property was acquired by tax deed in the 1930's as a forty-acre parcel. The county sold thirty-nine acres in 1958; the remaining one-acre parcel was retained for public access to Big McGraw Lake. Ordinance 96-01 permits the county to sell tax-deeded properties by public auction or by listing the property with a licensed real estate broker. The committee felt that listing the property with a broker was the appropriate sale method in this case. The cost of a certified survey map and broker fees will determine the price of each parcel. The method of prorating the cost for each parcel will be discussed at a future meeting. All adjoining owners need to be identified and contacted to learn if they are interested in buying the parcels.

Land contract update: At their November 15, 2004 meeting, the Land Committee approved a motion to cancel Harold Brooks' land contract with the county by accepting a quit claim deed to the property, subject to the results of a title check. Since that time, the Burnett County Abstract Company completed the title check and Dave Grindell, Corporation Counsel prepared the quit claim deed. On December 27, 2004, a quit claim deed from Harold Brooks to Burnett County was recorded with the Burnett County Register of Deeds as Document 372194. The county paid the 2004 taxes and special assessments in the amount of $462.99 on January 7, 2005.

Meeting adjourned.

Judith Dykstra
Deputy County Clerk