During New Business at the County Commissioner’s meeting last week, County Attorney Jim Clevenger told the County Commissioners that Keith Junker has filed a lawsuit against the county and his neighbors concerning a channel at Lake of the Woods. He said, “Junker has filed suit to quiet title and obtain a declaratory judgment against the defendants concerning land abutting the Quiet Harbor Channel.”
This issue was before the commissioners in 2020 and at that time the commissioners determined they didn’t have a concern in the issue. He said Mr. Junker has an issue with neighbors putting in boats and piers at the end of the county’s road where it meets up with the lake.
Junker is trying to claim the small strip of land around the channel for himself so that he can control what happens there.
Clevenger said Junker has also named some of the neighbors for trespassing and negligence.
Clevenger said while the county has a road there, it doesn’t go to the water’s edge, thus they shouldn’t be involved in the lawsuit.
The commissioners asked the County Attorney to file pleadings to dismiss the county from the lawsuit.
Commissioner Mike Burroughs said, “My opinion then and my opinion now is that this is a neighbor dispute and should be handled with the neighbors and that the county doesn’t have a dog in this fight.”
Commissioners Stan Klotz said the surveyor did go out in 2020 and surveyed the area. He said, “We have nothing in it. The property goes from 1 to 2 feet in width down to a couple of inches for a distance of about 40 feet. While it is along our right-of-way, I think we have no state in it.”
The motion was made to remove the county from the lawsuit by Commissioner Burroughs and seconded by Commissioner Kevin Overmyer. It passed with a unanimous decision of all three commissioners.
