Skinny Strip of Property Causing the County Headaches

The County owns a narrow piece of property that a neighbor wants to buy, but the effort may prove more trouble than what the property is worth.

The five-acre property in question lies in Pct. 1. It was gifted to the County in 1942 with intentions to build a road upon it, but that never happened. Last month, a neighboring landowner who was building a new fence offered to buy the 50-foot wide strip of land if the deal could be completed while his fence builders were working on his property.

“It’s just acreage, there’s not much else you can use it for,” said Pct. 1 Commissioner Jason McBroom.

Assistant County Attorney Blake Watson told Commissioners last week that state law requires the County to obtain an appraisal on the property and then sell it through a public auction.

“This does not make sense to me,” said McBroom. “We’re going to auction something off, but we have to get an appraisal done. What’s the point of auctioning it off? So if we get an appraisal done and it comes back at $10,000 an acre, do we still have an auction? Where does the (bidding) start at?”

“I think the point is that if we’re going to be good stewards of public property, and we’re going to get rid of it, then we need to understand what the value of the property is,” Watson said.

However, Watson said he was having a hard time finding an independent appraiser willing to take on the job.

“All of the appraisers are remarkably busy,” Watson said.

Watson said only one area appraiser provided a quote – $550, but the appraiser wouldn’t be able to complete the job for two months.

Watson said several other appraisers turned down the job, saying they were too busy to take on the work.

“What if the appraisal costs more than what anybody’s willing to buy it for?” asked Pct. 3 Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff.

McBroom answered by proposing a minimum bid for the auction of possibly $5,000 per acre.

“But if nobody buys it, it will cost us the appraisal,” McBroom said.

“This is an interesting one, because the property really doesn’t have a lot of value since it is 50 feet wide by five acres, a long skinny strip,” Watson said. “A single acre that was a square would have a lot more potential value to it.”

“I wonder what the taxpayers think about all the time we’re spending on how to deal with 50 feet,” said County Judge Joe Weber. “But I know there are statutes and codes we have to follow.”

Watson said he consulted with the Texas Association of Counties and his predecessor, retired Assistant County Attorney Harold Streicher. Watson said they all searched for an exemption to the legal requirement for an appraisal and auction, but they could not find one.

“Well, it looks like our hands are tied,” said Pct. 3 Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff. “That’s probably going to take several months to get it appraised.”

“The only quote I have is two months,” Watson said.

“The neighbor is wanting to build his fence, and he’s not going to want to wait that long,” said Pct. 4 Commissioner Drew Brossmann. “We’re going to go through all this hoopla, and by the time we get it done, nobody’s going to want to buy it.”

Commissioners ultimately voted 4-0 to authorize Watson and County Auditor Cindy Havelka to seek bids for the appraisal and hire the low bidder. McBroom voluntarily recused himself from the vote, saying that a close family member works as an independent appraiser.