By Ben Rodgers
Staff Writer

SUAMICO – The village board unanimously approved sending out a request for proposal from surveying firms for an assessor plat for six lots located on Riverside Drive south of School Lane at the Monday, Jan. 15 meeting.

When the lots were originally plotted an error occurred that makes the plots not align with current mapping technologies.

“It has created issues in their abilities in the future to sell these properties,” said Steve Dunks, zoning administrator.

“Based on the map, we got property lines going through centers of homes. That’s the issue we’re going to try have corrected by doing that assessors plat.”

Because the new plat will be paid for by a special assessment on the property owners, residents were at the meeting and one opposed the process.

Jim Stauber, who owns two lots, was against the idea of having to pay for a study.

Stauber wanted to go out on his own and get his lots surveyed by himself, instead of what he called “a buddy, buddy system,” that the village uses.

Laura Nelson, village president, said the only way to remedy the situation is to follow state statute and have a surveying company come in and do the work.

The process also requires numerous certified letters and the residents signing the final plat map in agreement.
Until the process is completed the land cannot be sold as the current plat does not match the property lines. This also makes it difficult to settle the estate of a person who passes away.

“It’s now or you all are going to have to live forever because it’s never going to transfer out of your hands or your families’ hands because no purchaser is going to buy into this, not singly,” Nelson said. “If you all sell your houses at the same time it’s possible, but that’s not going to happen.”

A high estimate was given to the board of $10,000. This cost, per state statute, would be divided up among the property owners based on the most recent assessed value.

Out of courtesy the board agreed to formally approve the bid at a public meeting, instead of just accepting the lowest bidder, as is regular procedure.

By using this method residents will have an idea of how much they will be assessed.

The board will also spread out the assessment over a number of years, so the affected taxpayers aren’t hit with a large assessment at once.

Finally the board unanimously approved a preliminary plat for Chambers Hill Farm, a 45-acre subdivision containing 70 lots off to the east of Velp Avenue, between Ranchu Road and Wood Lane.