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Resident says landowner crossed county road without permit; county calls water dispute a civil matter
Summary
A commenter alleged a landowner crossed a county road without a permit and locked out water access to neighbors; county staff said the person had called the courthouse for a road crossing permit but used an outdated procedure and that the waterline dispute is a civil matter between private parties.
A member of the public told the Alfalfa County Board of Commissioners that a landowner, identified in the comments as Steve Rust, crossed a county road on a Saturday without obtaining a permit and did not receive a citation.
The resident said Rust locked out neighbors’ water access and did not appear to have been fined or required to pay for a permit. The commenter said, “I wanna know why Steve Rust was able to board across the road on a Saturday without a permit, and didn't get in trouble for it, didn't get cited, was able to lock out Sally Eister and Garrett's underwater.”
A county official responded that the waterline issue is a civil matter and not a county enforcement action. The official said Rust had called the courthouse to request a road-crossing permit but was unaware of a change in the county’s permit process and that he had been advised to contact the county road supervisor (referred to in the meeting as “Barnes”) directly. The official said the county had already addressed the permit-procedure issue with Rust and informed him of the correct application route.
The transcript does not record a citation or a penalty issued by county staff during the meeting and contains no record of a formal county enforcement action on the waterline dispute. The board member who responded indicated the permit process had been explained to the individual for future crossings.
The transcript frames the waterline or “lock out” dispute as a private civil matter between landowners rather than a county regulatory enforcement action.
