Board sets Nov. 4 public hearing for vacation of portion of 4300 Ninetieth Avenue

The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors voted on Oct. 14 to set a public hearing for 8:05 a.m. Nov. 4 to consider vacating a remaining mile of Road Number 4300 (Ninetieth Avenue) on the Portland–Buffalo township line.

County staff presented maps, drive videos and ownership history showing the road’s origin on the township line in the 1890s and that most of the original six-mile road was previously vacated. Staff said property surveys now place the drainage ditch as the property boundary, and landowners have consolidated ownership so the road no longer provides necessary access to adjacent parcels. A high-voltage transmission easement crosses the west side of the road; staff said that utility easement would remain if the county vacates the road.

Staff asked the board to schedule the hearing so the county can notify affected landowners and utilities and receive any objections. The board discussed timing and chose Nov. 4 after the board’s 8:15 a.m. hearing already on that agenda; staff said the road vacation item should take only a few minutes.

Why it matters: a vacation transfers title or responsibility for the former roadbed to adjoining landowners except for preexisting easements (here, a transmission-line easement). It can affect access, maintenance responsibilities and utility access.

Board action: the board adopted Resolution 10142508 to set the public hearing for 8:05 a.m. on Nov. 4, 2024. The county will publish notice in the newspaper as required and mail notices to adjacent landowners and the utility company. If objections are raised at the hearing, the board stated it will address them according to statutory process.

Ending: Staff said it will send the map, drive video and hearing notice to interested parties and that the county will stake the section line and identify boundaries for landowners before the hearing.