Monroe County reappoints three to Surveyor Review Board after presentation on section-corner work

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously, 3-0, on Jan. 30 to reappoint Mr. Deckard, Mr. Borgman and Ms. Ozer to the county’s Surveyor Review Board and to grant a waiver of a residency provision (provision D) for Ms. Ozer only.

Ray Randolph, presenting on behalf of the surveyor’s office, showed a GIS dashboard documenting efforts to perpetuate historic section corner monuments and described the office’s role in locating and marking original government section corners tied to early land surveys. Randolph said the office is required to establish, locate and reference at least 5% of corners each year and reported that about 58.5% of county monuments have been perpetuated in the office’s records, noting the dataset is mid-migration to a new GIS server.

Randolph summarized technical work including collecting geodetic controls and resolving conflicting monument evidence so corners can be reliably reestablished. He asked the board to reappoint the three members and for a waiver of the residency requirement for Ms. Ozer; he said the waiver request applied only to her. Commissioners asked staff to confirm that the other two appointees are Monroe County residents by the next meeting; the surveyor agreed to verify residency if necessary.

Commissioners raised questions about the historical period of the original monuments—Randolph said many date to the early 1800s, with some documentary references around 1818—and about the practical benefits of the review board in advising on disputed corner locations. No amendments were made to the reappointment list. The board recorded the motion as carrying 3-0.

The surveyor’s presentation emphasized permanence of property boundaries and the technical complexity of reconciling historical and modern surveying practices. The board did not change the scope of the review board but required staff follow-up to confirm residency for two members if records do not verify it.