Commission Hears Request to Shift RS-2/477 Access on James Carter Property; no decision made

At a public hearing, county staff described a request from property owner James Carter to move an RS-2/477 right-of-way that currently runs through the middle of his parcel so the public access would run along the parcel’s edge instead.

County staff said the proposed alignment would remain within the property line where the map shows it and that the property owner would be required to bring that right-of-way up to current road standards before the county would accept maintenance responsibility. Mac from the county maintenance station told the commission the county would require a 24-inch culvert for drainage and a "non-tracking" surface — examples discussed included asphalt or road base — between the paved roadway and the property line to keep mud and track-out off the highway.

Staff also noted the county might treat the relocated access as a potential shared access point if neighboring parcels develop in the future, and commissioners asked that the property owner install radiuses or other geometric adjustments to accommodate trucks and trailers if needed. Commissioners and staff discussed whether the county would install and maintain a stop sign; staff said installation would likely be by the county but would depend on agreements with the local maintenance station.

The public hearing was closed by motion of Commissioner Pearson; the commission recorded an "aye" vote and said a formal decision on the road alignment would come at a later meeting.

Why this matters: the request would change where public access crosses private land, affect responsibility for construction and long-term maintenance, and could alter future shared-access options for adjacent parcels.

What the commission took action on: the hearing was closed; no final approval or formal acceptance of a changed right-of-way was made at that meeting. The matter was left for further action at a future session.

"James Carter has asked that we move an RS-two 477 Road that goes through the middle of his property, move it over to the edge of the property, so it goes around and gives him the use of that land, but we still retain public access across that onto public lands that are behind that," county staff said during the hearing.

Next steps: staff will return with the formal proposal and any required approvals and documentation for the commission to act on at a later meeting.