Confusion remains about who is responsible for cleaning up a garbage-filled Medaryville property. Robert Dahlquist died over two years ago, but town officials say various items remain in the backyard of his old home, including three trailers, seven vehicles, and an estimated 100 tires.
Pulaski County Attorney Kevin Tankersley told the county commissioners Monday he looked into the issue last week. He said it’s up to County Building Inspector Doug Hoover whether or not he wants to pay for the cleanup, but the property isn’t technically under the county’s jurisdiction. While Medaryville has an ordinance in place to use the services of the county’s building inspector, Tankersley said such an agreement was never actually approved by the county.
As for what happens next, Tankersley said the logical move would be a tax sale, since it’s unlikely that anyone’s been paying property taxes since Dahlquist died. “Somebody might own that, but as far as we know from the property records, it’s still owned by the deceased person,” Tankersley said. “So nobody’s bought the tax certificate, probably, and nobody’s applied for a deed. There’s basically a free house there if somebody wants to take it over. If they pay the back taxes, they can have it.”
Tankersley said that neither Dahlquist’s family nor anyone else has ever opened an estate on his property, which would make it difficult for the county to recoup the cost of the cleanup.
