Property owner raises dispute over county road petition and survey during Whitley County Fiscal Court meeting

A signed-in guest at the Whitley County Fiscal Court meeting on March raised a dispute about county surveyors and government vehicles visiting his property and a gate that blocks access he says is private. The guest, who identified himself in the record as Jeff, told the court he has lived on the property since 1972 and questioned why surveyors were appearing at his home without his prior knowledge.

Jeff said surveyors told him there is no evidence in their records of a county road where his gate stands. "Why were government vehicles just showing up at my house, randomly and why are surveyors showing up at my home?" he asked. He added he had not spoken to adjoining neighbors in two years and that he did not expect a petition to extend a road to bisect his family land.

The presiding official told Jeff the county's records include a petition filed in February 2011 accompanied by a survey map that shows a proposed roadbed extending past the last corner of Jeff's property, and that the petition was presented to the court at that time. The official said an earlier owner, Steve Watkins, brought the original survey and petition and that the surveyor listed on the record was Edward Grande. "We turned it over to survey to try to identify what's what," the presiding official said, adding that the county had consulted the county attorney and the sheriff and had employed a private surveying company to determine the correct boundary.

County staff cited competing claims from adjoining property owners, including a referenced adjoining owner Dennis Barton, and said statutory limits on closing county roads complicate unilateral action. The presiding official acknowledged the sensitivity of the dispute, noting concerns about a nearby pond and a dam that factor into road placement, and said the county wants to "get it right" rather than move hastily.

Jeff told the court he had his own historic documents and that previous owners had not indicated a county road across his land. He asked the court for copies of the county's petition and survey; the presiding official offered to provide a copy and said staff would follow up after a county surveyor compiles the records. "I'll be back in touch with you," the presiding official said.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: county staff will share available records with Jeff, staff will continue work with the hired surveying firm to reconcile deeds, historic surveys and the adoption petition, and staff will contact the petitioner and adjoining property owners as part of the review. The court did not take a formal vote or further action on the matter during the meeting.