PARKLAND — Douglas County officials have little hope of recouping the cost to clean up two mobile home parks in Parkland through the sale of the land alone.
But they are hopeful that the right projects would help to mitigate more than $161,720 in calculated losses including administrative fees, environmental assessments and cleanup, lost taxes and special assessments, and expenses related to the demolition and cleanup of the north and south Country Acres Mobile Home Parks.
The Land and Development Committee approved readvertising the now-vacant parcels on Tuesday, March 26. The properties will be sold separately for a minimum bid of $10,000 for about 2.27 acres around Nakoma Court Drive and $15,000 for about 3.66 acres near Rainbow Drive.
“I know we’re never going to be able to cover these costs through a land sale,” said Supervisor Alan Jaques. “That south acres for about 2.27 acres is about $73,000 … north country is about 3.66 acres for about $89,000. I don’t think we’ll ever get that out of there.”
County Clerk Kaci Lundgren said the cost to the county is likely higher than the costs reflected in worksheets passed out to members of the committee. She said costs related to corporation counsel’s work on the property weren’t captured during the yearslong process of taking the properties by tax deed, vacating residents of the mobile home parks and the cleanup.
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Even the almost $60,534 spent to have the highway department remove garbage and debris — and trailers and sheds in two phases — doesn’t reflect the total cost of the final cleanup of the property.
The county still has $52,871 in fees for the removal of 620 tons of debris owed to the Superior landfill.
The city’s finance committee will consider forgiving a portion of that cost when it meets in April, but the county would still be responsible for tipping fees the city pays to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Last year, the finance committee suspended collection of $17,769 in landfill fees for the first phase of cleanup. Under the agreement, the county would only pay those fees if the county recouped its costs related to the property, but no consideration was given at the time to who would pay the DNR tipping fees.
Jaques asked if there was some way the county could set parameters on the land sale to ensure that nice homes or other buildings on the properties would allow the county to recoup some of its losses through new property taxes.
The county could use a development agreement if there is something specific the county has in mind, but zoning would control what is allowed on the property, said Carolyn Pierce, corporation counsel.
“Another trailer park going in there — that’s not going to happen,” Pierce said.
The properties are zoned for single- or two-family residential development.
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The previously existing trailer parks were only allowed because they existed prior to the county adopting zoning regulations.
“I think they should be sold separately,” said County Board Chairman Mark Liebaert. “It would be great if we could recover our costs, but it’s our responsibility to clean it up once we own it.”
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