Should Cook County establish a boundary commission to clean up discrepancies in property lines along Sag Lake Trail near the end of the Gunflint Trail? The peninsula is riddled with problems, and last month, surveyor Wayne Hensche, who has contracted with the county for other large surveys, suggested that the county hire him to tackle this new area.
Establishing a boundary commission can be done at the will of the county board, but property owners can petition the county to conduct a survey as well. Without the county’s involvement, individual property owners who want accurate surveys would need to pay attorneys to help them do it themselves.
During the public comments period at the county board meeting on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, surveyor Sam Parker put in his two cents’ worth. “I guess I like boundary commissions,” he said. “They solve a lot of problems.” On the other hand, he protested the fact that the county board keeps hiring Wayne Hensche to do them. He indicated that Cook County has plenty of professionals and that the county can help them by allowing them to provide some of the services the county needs.
“If we don’t do that, what are we doing to professional surveyors in the county?” Parker asked.
When asked why Hensche has been used for previous boundary commissions and surveys, county Auditor- Treasurer Braidy Powers said, “I think one of the reasons he has been used is that the other surveyors were very busy with private work and would not likely have been interested in government surveys and boundary commissions.
“Another reason is that Wayne took a special interest in the boundary commissions and developed expertise in it. Another is that, as I understand it, his fees as set in the contract are significantly below the market rates for private surveyors, and the county saves money by using him (if he is willing – which he has been).
“I think Sam Parker is pointing out that the economy has changed and private surveyors might be interested now.”
When the question of a boundary commission on Sag Lake Trail came up on the agenda later in the meeting, Wayne Hensche had a response for Parker, but it may have taken some people by surprise. “I welcome transparency,” Hensche said. “I think it’s a good deal.” He admitted that he had recommended a boundary commission up there, but he had not realized that Parker had already been doing business there with some of the property owners. He inadvertently stepped into what he described as a hornet’s nest. “If I did step on toes,” he said, “I apologize.”
County surveyor rates are very reasonable, but he should not be involved if his work for the county starts competing with private industry, Hensche said. He then recommended against establishing a boundary commission. Sixty to seventy percent of the problems have now been solved, he said, and finishing the job with private surveys would be just as effective. About three significant problems remain, and some of them could be done for about the same amount of money as a boundary commission, he said.
After looking in detail at the history of what has been done to clear up some of the property titles, Hensche saw that making a coordinated effort would have been much cheaper. “There’s piecemeal all over of things being solved,” he said. “We could have done it for 15 cents on the dollar.”
“I don’t think I got rich working up there on Sag Lake Trail,” Parker said. “If I did, I’m not seeing it! …I’m not wearing diamond rings!”
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