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Effingham County authorizes condemnation option for small Earl Lane parcel to finish paving project
Summary
The board approved a resolution authorizing the county attorney to pursue condemnation for a strip of property along Earl Lane Road after staff said negotiations had stalled; county engineer Jonathan Holm told commissioners an appraisal started at $5,200 and staff was willing to go up to $12,000.
The Effingham County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 16 authorized the county attorney to institute condemnation proceedings if necessary to acquire a narrow strip of land needed to pave Earl Lane Road.
Jonathan Holm, county engineer, briefed the board on acquisition efforts and described talks with the remaining property owner. "The appraisal has been sent out to determine the fair market value ... It was, at 5,200. We were willing to go up to 12,000 plus," Holm said during the presentation. He said the parcel is roughly 0.08 acres (about 300 feet of frontage and approximately 7 feet of new right-of-way depth) and that staff had worked to accommodate owner concerns about rebuilding near an existing foundation.
Holm and staff explained they had attempted negotiations and were open to contingent settlement language (including variance requests) to allow the owner to rebuild on the foundation. Still, staff recommended formal authorization of the condemnation resolution to keep the paving project on schedule if a negotiated settlement could not be reached.
A commissioner moved to approve the resolution authorizing condemnation; after discussion about continued outreach to the owner and potential variance options, the board voted in favor. Staff said other parcels along the project had already reached agreements and emphasized that condemnation authorization is a contingency, not an immediate taking.
The board asked staff to continue negotiations with the owner and to return with any settlement language; the resolution permits the county attorney to proceed if needed to obtain the right-of-way required to complete the road-paving project.
