County urged to tie up loose ends

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

County counsel Brad Jantz reminded commissioners Monday that they have a great deal of unfinished business that need to be tied up.

Jantz said commissioners hadn’t finished developing a land bank, feedlots and solar power need to be addressed, tax sale procedures need to be revisited, and the county needs to update its employee manual.

Property doesn’t go on the sale list until it is five or more years behind on taxes, treasurer Jeannine Bateman said. But commissioner David Crofoot countered: “People who are using these houses, that’s where our drug problem comes from.”

Crofoot said if the county enforced payment of property taxes, drug users might leave.

Hillsboro resident Samantha Miller complained about county expenses related to the return of Father Emil Kapaun’s remains to Pilsen.

“This is a private event and should not be funded by tax dollars,” she said. “Any charity type funding supplied via tax dollars is completely inappropriate use of country tax monies.”