East Glacier resident presses county over alleged alley encroachments and access problems

A long public comment at Thursday’s Glacier County commission meeting put a spotlight on a persistent property dispute in East Glacier that residents say has blocked alley access and hampered repairs.

The speaker, who identified herself in the record as Nima, presented maps and copies of prior correspondence and said structures and a motel addition encroach into a county alley, narrowing winter clearance to the point that larger vehicles cannot pass. She described prior incidents — including a county snowplow she said damaged her fence and repeated vandalism — and said repeated written requests to county offices and deputies had not produced a resolution.

Nima said she had asked the roads department and tribal representatives about jurisdiction and that answers had been inconsistent. "If it's a trespass on county property, then it's the county commissioners who are responsible for communicating with the person who's encroaching," she said. She also told the board she had taken photographs and kept a binder of documentation, and that deputies had visited and taken copies of deeds and related records during interviews.

Commissioners and staff repeatedly asked the speaker to put the specific allegations in writing with supporting materials — a formal complaint, survey documents and dispatch/case dates — so the county attorney and roads superintendent can investigate. Commissioners noted jurisdictional complexity because parts of the area are on reservation land and said the county would need to coordinate with tribal authorities and the state, depending on property status.

The board did not make a formal decision at the meeting; commissioners instructed staff to collect any additional written materials and to route the packet to the county attorney and roads department for follow-up.