Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Works Access And Rights Of Way topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Becker County board agrees to remove barricade on non‑vacated township road and seek gated access
Summary
Following months of informal closure, Becker County commissioners directed staff to obtain quotes to gate and fence a public township road adjacent to the county demolition landfill, after township representatives and county staff said the barricade had no recorded easement and likely violates state statute.
Becker County commissioners voted to have county environmental services obtain cost estimates to gate and fence a township road that has been barricaded for roughly three decades near the county’s demolition landfill.
The action follows a June public appearance by Detroit Township officials who said the barricade blocks a road that was never formally vacated and therefore remains a public township road. County staff said there is no recorded easement for the long‑standing access arrangement between county contractors and adjacent landowners.
The vote matters because the closed roadway lies adjacent to Becker County’s construction and demolition landfill and other county assets, and township officials said leaving it barricaded puts the county out of compliance with state law on public rights of way. Commissioners directed environmental services to solicit quotes to install access gates and fence both sides of the road and to develop a plan to protect county property while restoring public access.
County staff and Detroit Township representatives told the board the closure began as an informal arrangement decades ago and persisted because it “worked” for many years. Mike Ingham, a county representative, told the board the original informal arrangement was not recorded and that county files did not contain a signed easement. Detroit Township supervisor Charlie Jaskin said the township had performed grading on the road until roughly 15–20 years ago and that township officials had come to the board to seek resolution.
County counsel and staff reviewed the matter and advised the board that the barricade was inconsistent with statutes governing public road vacations; staff said formally vacating the road would be an extensive process and could be legally fraught because the county‑owned landfill parcel would be landlocked by such a vacation. Commissioners emphasized the county’s interest in protecting its assets, including the landfill and household hazardous waste facility, and directed staff to return with bids and a recommended timeline for installing gates and fencing.
At the meeting a motion passed instructing environmental services to obtain quotes for the gates and fencing and to work cooperatively with Detroit Township and the affected landowners on a plan; the board approved the motion by voice vote. Commissioners said the county will not immediately remove gates until a short implementation plan, including security measures such as cameras, is in place.
The board asked that staff return with cost estimates and a proposed schedule; commissioners said they expect the county to keep public safety and protection of county facilities as priorities while restoring public road access.
Why it matters: county roads that are closed without formal vacation can create legal and access problems and reduce future land use options for county‑owned parcels. Restoring an open, gated configuration is intended to comply with statute, preserve county assets, and keep the work legally defensible.
