Resident asks council to allow backyard fence as city weighs easement’s legal status

A resident seeking to install a fence along a 10-foot strip of land said the city should allow the work because the strip’s original easement was for a school that no longer exists. Council members said they are reviewing competing concerns — privacy and safety for the homeowner versus possible established access to the adjacent park for roughly 50 homes — and will wait for a formal opinion from the city law director before issuing a permit.

The resident (name not specified) told council during public comment that she and her husband have paid for a survey and a title-opinion letter and that the mayor suggested the family’s attorney speak with the city attorney. “We are requesting to put a fence on our property, which there was a 10 foot easement for a school,” the resident said. She told council the school was removed in February 2018 and that she and her husband have spent money on surveys and legal advice to document that…