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Commission votes to donate small Harrington parcels to land bank despite conflict-of-interest concerns
Summary
Commissioners approved an administrative resolution donating two small lots in Harrington to the local land bank to remove maintenance costs from county rolls; one commissioner flagged that an adjacent property owner sits on the Land Bank board and could benefit.
The Dickinson County Commission voted to donate two small lots in the Town of Harrington to the Harrington Land Bank, a move staff said will remove maintenance responsibility from county hands and place the parcels back on the tax rolls.
"I have some reservations about that — one owner of a nearby piece is on the land bank board and that could be a conflict," said a commissioner (identified in the record as S6), noting concerns about fairness and optics. Staff responded that the property is difficult to market, is not buildable and is appraised at about $4,180, and they argued donation is the most practical means of stopping ongoing maintenance costs.
The county’s staff said attempts to sell the parcels had failed and that the parcels have been chemically treated and maintained by the county for years. Commissioners weighing the trade-offs concluded that returning the lots to local control and to the tax rolls outweighed the potential appearance of preferential treatment, though at least one commissioner asked staff to ensure proper transparency and notice to the City of Harrington and the land bank.
The commission approved the administrative resolution (0051426a) by motion, second and voice vote. Staff said the notice will go to the City of Harrington and the Land Bank and the process follows prior statutes and county practice for disposing of small, nonproductive parcels.
The motion carried; commissioners did not schedule additional review beyond the notification and transfer steps.
