An effort to correct addressing problems in the county got some pushback from residents and Montezuma County commissioners Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never had so many angry phone calls on an issue as this,\u201d said commissioner Larry Don Suckla. \u201cPeople have had the same address for 40 years and view them as private property.\u201d<\/p>\n
The county mapping and planning department is analyzing 12,000 parcels to correct the addresses in the most problematic areas.<\/p>\n
During a meeting last week, residents expressed frustration over sudden address changes.<\/p>\n
After a discussion,it was decided that commissioners will review any proposal before residents are notified about possible changes.<\/p>\n
Doug Roth, a county mapping specialist, and planner Ken Gallegos reported that there are some problem areas regarding addresses.<\/p>\n
For example, residents on stretch of County Road 29 have Road P.5 addresses. A neighborhood west of the fairgrounds has one address for eight homes. Incorrect addresses have made it onto property deeds, and many homes are out of sequence, causing problems for emergency services and deliveries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found some homes that were not even on the county tax rolls,\u201d Roth said.<\/p>\n
How addresses have been assigned to parcels has been inconsistent over the years, he said, leading to nonsensical situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt used to be done through the assessor\u2019s office, and an address was often assigned to the middle of a large parcel,\u201d Roth said.<\/p>\n
Then when the driveway went in off of a different road, the address would be for the wrong road or out of sequence.<\/p>\n
Now the county ties addresses to the access of the property, Gallegos said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce a driveway permit is secured, then the address is assigned,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
One particular problem are old, large parcels with nothing on them and no evidence or record of a driveway. Planners want to change their addresses to \u201cTo Be Determined.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t leave the address, because if somebody does build a house in a different spot, it will change the address,\u201d Gallegos said.<\/p>\n
Commissioners were hesitant to change addresses and want to review any proposal.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have mail, and licenses, and permits tied to their addresses,\u201d said commissioner Keenan Ertel. \u201cI\u2019d hate to throw people into a whirlpool and have to change their whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another issue is that the information might not filter down to the person leasing the land whose relying on the old address for all their personal and business life.<\/p>\n
Jay Jackson and Don Bain got letters that their addresses were changed, but they fought it and had them changed back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a sales tax license, a firearms license tied to my address,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cBasically, they were telling me that I had moved.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the coming months, county planners will submit a report to the commissioners on areas that have the most problematic addresses, and the plan to remedy the situation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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