County Policy Reversed By Fed Law

(Deputy Prosecutor Karen Vedder & Planning Director Ron Hendrickson watch Virginia Norgaard address Council -file photo)

The County has received a set back in a lawsuit to stop property from being divided if new, and more precise methods show it to be less than indicated in recorded county records. As previously reported , the case was started when Richard Durhack and Virginia Norgaard filed a law suit against San Juan County after they were prevented from proceeding with a property division. The County had informed them that there property could no longer be divided, since new GIS surveying technologies indicated they had a tad less land than recorded surveys used to make the county land use maps showed. (the old “Aliquot” system did not factoring the curvature of the earth)

The outcome of the case will allow others who had been informed that land they owned was not as large as shown on County records, to use the original survey, when, and if, they apply for land use permits.

The impact of the case had been predicted by County Assessor Paul Dossett to result in very few land divisions. He has also said that it was basically a case of fairness, and urged the Council to retain the previous acreage designations as shown on the county land use maps.



[more..]