Voss v. Albany County Commissioners

2003 WY 94, 74 P.3d 714, 2003 Wyo. LEXIS 115, 2003 WL 21939835
Wyoming Supreme Court·Decided August 14, 2003·No. 02-68, 02-101·Published·Cited by 21 cases

Opinion

GOLDEN, Justice.

[T1] Mark and Laura Voss, with co-owners David and Virginia Macey, petitioned the Albany County Board of Commissioners (Board) to establish a private road across their neighbors' property, as authorized by Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 24-9-101 (Lexis 1999). The Board, following the administrative procedure outlined in the statute, established the road in a location other than that requested by the petitioners. The district court, finding that the Board erred in establishing a road that traversed federal property, reversed and remanded to the Board for the consideration of an alternate location for the road. The petitioners for the road and the respondents through whose land the road was established filed cross-appeals. We conclude that the district court's decision should be affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded to the Board.

ISSUES

[¶ 2] The petitioners for the private road assert the following issues:

1. Did the district court err in remanding this matter for a good faith determination, after affirming that the Board had jurisdiction to proceed pursuant to W.S. 24-9-101?
2. May the Board establish a private road beyond the general location of the road proposed by the applicant?
8. May the Board confirm actions of viewers that are in violation of W.S. 24-9-101 & 1083?
4. May the Board delegate its duty to determine the ultimate fact of the reasonableness of the proposed road to the viewers?
5. May the Board establish an unreasonable and inconvenient road and fail to properly consider the reasonable road proposed?
6. May the Board modify the viewers selection of a road?
7. May the Board establish a road that had not been marked pursuant to W.S. 24-9-1017
8. Did the Board err when it concluded that a determinable easement in gross constituted adequate legally enforceable access?
9. May the Board allow its counsel to participate as an advocate and de facto hearing officer in proceedings before the Board?
10. May the Board fail to enter its own findings and conclusions and fail to perform its duties as an agency?

In their cross-appeal, Respondents Kim and Peter Stevens present the issues as follows:

1. Does BLM land containing no restrictions on use by motor vehicle constitute a public road such that it is not a factor in determining whether a landowner's property is landlocked under W.S. § 24-9-1017
2. If crossing BLM land is a factor, does a Right of Way Grant issued by the BLM pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, 48 U.S.C. § 1761 and the regulations at 48 C.F.R. Part 2800, which is for a term of 30 years and renewable, constitute "an outlet to, or connection with a public road" under W.S. § 24-9-101?

FACTS

[¶ 3] In 1996, Mark and Laura Voss purchased 151 acres of land near the Buford exit *717 of Interstate Highway 80 in Albany County. Vosses and their predecessors in title usually accessed the property from the highway exit, first crossing land owned by Richard and Beverly Goodman, then proceeding upon the southern edge of the Stevens property, and finally across federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM"). This access route was referred to below as "the Highway-BLM Road." An alternative means of access is from the Crystal Lake Road, which is east of the Voss property and runs generally north and south from the Buford exit. This means of access required Vosses to travel westward from Crystal Lake Road across the Stevens property before reaching their own land. This "Creek Road" parallels South Crow Creek which effectively bisects the Stevens property but avoids the Goodman and BLM properties. The record shows both methods of access were used at times by Vosses and their predecessors in title, but no access easements were of record when Vosses purchased their land in 1996.

[T4] For two years after purchasing the property Vosses attempted to secure easements from their neighbors in order to formally secure their property access. In June 1997, the Stevenses tendered to Vosses a restricted easement for their portion of the Highway-BLM Road, the restriction being that the easement would lapse if Vosses ever conveyed less than their entire 151-acre parcel. In December 1997, the BLM issued a "Right-of-Way Grant" to Vosses for the portion of the route that crossed BLM property. The grant is for a term of thirty years and is renewable if Vosses have not violated its terms at the time of renewal. In February 1998, the Goodmans delivered to Vosses an unrestricted easement over their portion of the Highway-BLM Road. This easement was recorded February 12, 1998.

[T5] In March 1998, Vosses offered to purchase an unrestricted easement from the Stevenses for the Highway-BLM Road, as well as a separate easement for the Creek Road. Negotiations apparently broke down at that point. Although the timing of events is disputed by the parties, the precise chronology is not relevant to the issues. Vosses filed with the Board of County Commissioners a notice of intent to petition for a private road, while the Stevenses cut off Vosses' access to the Creek Road and recorded a copy of the restricted easement for Vosses' use of the Highway-BLM Road. Vosses then filed their petition for establishment of a private road in January 1999, claiming that their property was landlocked and seeking to establish the Creek Road as a private road across the Stevens property. Although the only property affected by the Creek Road is the Stevens property, Vosses also notified the Good-mans of the private road petition because Goodmans hold a mortgage on the Stevens property.

[¶ 6] The first hearing in the matter was held on March 2, 1999, following which the Board made no express factual findings but appointed viewers "to examine the various possibilities for access and determine the location of a private road according to the requirements set out by the Wyoming Statutes." 1 In an April 23, 1999, ruling on a motion by Vosses, the Board further instructed the viewers to "proceed to meet as required by statute to view and locate a private road and assess damages to be sustained thereby, and make a report thereof as required by law."

[T7] The viewers met at the parties' property on May 11, 1999, visited separately with the Vosses and Stevenses, and submitted their report to the Board on June 29, 1999. They examined both the proposed Creek Road and the Highway-BLM Road. *718 The viewers rejected the Creek Road and recommended that the private road be established substantially as the Highway-BLM Road existed, with one modification. The modification would be to move the right-of-way where it crossed the Goodman property, to keep it entirely on the Goodman property and avoid encroachment on the property of another landowner who had not been made a party to the proceeding.

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Voss v. Albany County Commissioners, 2003 WY 94, 74 P.3d 714, 2003 Wyo. LEXIS 115, 2003 WL 21939835 (Wyo. 2003).

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