Board hears public hearing on vacating 133rd Avenue; bridge disposition left for follow-up

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing June 23 on a request from adjacent landowners to vacate the Level B portion of 133rd Avenue in Macaukona after repeated illegal dumping along the roadway. Jayden Shekel of the county engineer's office said the presence of a bridge on the segment forces the county to make an affirmative disposition decision: "ultimately the county has to do something positive for the disposition of this bridge" and that "either by selling the bridge to the adjacent landowners for basically a dollar" with a liability‑transfer agreement or by removing the bridge entirely.

Property owner Craig Cruz, who said his family owns land on both sides of the stretch, told the board he favors vacating the road to stop dumping and repeated thefts from equipment: "we would like to get it closed so that we can keep the illegal dumping out." Board members pressed staff on whether vacating would remove county access (Jayden confirmed vacating eliminates the county easement while utility easements would remain) and asked how acreage reverting to the tax roll would be determined. Jayden noted the county typically relies on a professional survey to map acreage and said the county does not have an on‑staff surveyor, so the question of who pays for that plat remains unresolved.

After public comment and questions, the board voted to close the hearing and then to table any final action on the road vacation and the bridge disposition until staff can contact the other property owner, confirm survey and assessor procedures, and coordinate with the county attorney and auditor. Don Smucker, who opened the meeting, directed county staff and the property owners to follow up and return with the requested information at a later date.