Commissioners discuss trailer removal and Forest Service

SUPERIOR – During their weekly meeting, the Mineral County Commissioners resolved the ownership of an abandoned trailer and got an update on getting in touch with the Regional Forester’s office.

The continuation was related to an abandoned mobile home sitting on a piece of property. Herb Stelling, the landowner, wanted to remove the trailer, but did not want to have anything salvageable go to waste. He was also reluctant to pay the high cost to remove it himself.

He sought the commissioner’s input and the idea of selling it was raised, though it was uncertain if anyone would be interested. The commissioners delayed the discussion to the meeting on Friday, March 14, while investigating some of the legal issues involved.

According to Roni Phillips, controller for the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, it was determined the commissioners could cancel the taxes on the trailer to have the mobile home removed. This could be done if it was in the county’s best interests to do so.

“The county commissioners, in its discretion, may cancel any personal property, including penalty interest costs and charges,” Phillips read from the documentation.

While this would make it possible for the trailer to be removed, Stelling had concerns about disposing of the vehicle. He felt it was possible someone could find a use for the trailer and would be willing to buy it. If all else failed, he would get rid of the mobile home, but he wanted to explore other options first.

“I’d like to see a sale,” Stelling said. “Maybe there’s someone out there who would like to have that.”

Phillips said there were people in the area who specialized in dismantling trailers for parts. When Phillips asked a local group of salvagers if they would be interested in the vehicle, they said they would not bid on it in an auction. The salvagers felt removing the trailer would cost more than they could get selling the parts.

The group’s feeling was it would be better to offer the sale and see if there were any interested parties. If they did a sheriff’s sale, it would have to be advertised for two weeks before any action was taken.

The commissioners agreed to waive the taxes on the mobile home. This cleared the back taxes on the trailer for the purpose of its removal from the property it sat on. This would make it entirely Stelling’s call whether to advertise it for sale or remove it himself.

At another point in the meeting, the commissioners sat down with representatives of the Mineral County Resource Advisory Group to discuss what they have been working on. Lately, the group has been trying to work out the litigation problems several forest projects have run into.

According to Angelo Ververis, a spokesman for MCRAG, it was decided the best solution at this point was to put the Forest Service on notice and make it clear the inaction is not acceptable. He said this would require resolutions declaring a state of emergency in the county by saying the health, safety and welfare of the community are at risk.

“I’ll give you my opinion as a MCRAG member and also a mill manager,” Ververis said. “It’s the right direction to take.”

Ververis suggested contacting Doyle Shamly, a consultant who has helped other counties resolve similar issues, to help draft the resolutions. He said they needed to figure out how the costs would be handled and find a solution if the county would not take on the full cost. Hiring Shamly would cost approximately $2,000 for the first stage of the process.

Dennis Hildebrand, a member of MCRAG, had some concerns about hiring Shamly and wanted to do more research on him. In the meantime, Hildebrand agreed with the need to get the blessings of the commissioners to start the process of negotiating a contract.

The MCRAG representatives felt this was a necessary step to make it clear the county would not accept any more delays.

 Laurie Johnston, commissioner of the county’s central region, supported giving notice to the Office of the Regional Forester. She said she would contact some of the neighboring counties to get their support on the issue. Duane Simons, commissioner of the west end, noted there are approximately 30 forested counties in the area. While he was not sure they could, he felt it would be a powerful message if they got all of them to give their support.

Simons also felt the other counties were likely dealing with similar problems and may want a resolution just as badly.

The commissioners were unanimously supportive of the idea. Simons said it was a bold move to give notice to the federal agencies, but it may be the push needed to get them to the table.

Roman Zylawy, commissioner of the east end, said the delays were unacceptable and the Forest Service needed to be held accountable. He said whether by laziness, complacency or simply not caring, they were not doing their job and had to be corrected.

‘”The glaring thing is, this Forest Service project, which they’ve been lauding for years as a great thing right in our back yard, has never even gotten off the ground,” Zylawy said. “I don’t know when it got started, but that’s the really telling thing for Tester, Baucus and Daines to read and go ‘wow, no wonder these guys are ticked off…look at when this project began and they’re still waiting for something to happen.’”