Neighbors press county over Windsong Lane easement after tax‑sale transfers; enforcement and legal steps underway

Community development staff told commissioners on Jan. 7 that a parcel known locally as part of the Windsong Lane easement — a 60‑foot private easement providing access to eight parcels — has created access and safety problems after multiple tax‑sale transfers. "If it was solely up to me, the county should never have actually sold this to a private party," said County Community Development Director Callahan, describing a history of the county acquiring and later selling the parcel on multiple occasions.

Craig Davidson, chief deputy director for operations, described site conditions and a short history of ownership. He said county records show intermittent county possession in 1989, 1994, 2009 and 2019; the parcel was sold most recently in July. Davidson said the county received complaints beginning when an owner brought an RV onto the parcel and intermittently occupied it; code enforcement issued notices and the property later generated calls for sheriff response, district‑court temporary restraining orders and code violations.

Beth Osborne, an adjacent landowner, told the board she and neighbors maintain the easement and said the parcel was mistyped historically as buildable residential acreage rather than non‑buildable easement land. She said the assessor's office has corrected the land type and reduced the assessed value to $1,000 after decades of incorrect assessment. "If we want to talk about exorbitant expenses, all these people purchased it thinking spending more than they should," Osborne said.

Osborne asked the county to consider two steps: amend the county code to prohibit overnight RV camping on easements, and purchase the parcel back from the current owner so it could be dedicated to the Windsong Lane Roadway Easement Association. Commissioners signaled support for quickly drafting a prohibition on camping or overnight RV use on easements but said purchasing the parcel would be a separate and potentially unbudgeted decision.

Community development said code enforcement issued a notice of violation dated Aug. 12, 2024, and that the owner removed the RV on Dec. 11, 2024, ahead of a hearing. Davidson said the county may seek district court remedies and that, on recordation of the notice of violation, staff could ask the board to authorize a civil enforcement fee (up to $1,000 per day) if violations continue.

Neighbors documented alleged hazardous obstructions — boards with protruding nails, stacked rocks and debris — that they said hinder snow‑plowing and safe access. Staff said they are coordinating legal and enforcement steps and plan further meetings with the assessor and treasurer to revise tax‑sale and disposition workflows to prevent similar outcomes.

Commissioners requested regular updates and asked staff to pursue code amendments and continued enforcement actions as allowed by law.