County officials looking at fixing problem properties outside municipal limits, especially at Henderson interchange

​YORK – York County officials are looking for ways to help remediate problem properties which are located outside village and city limits.

​Recently, someone from the Henderson area asked the county commissioners to take steps toward cleaning up problem properties at the Henderson interchange.
This area has been a topic of conversation for years, with locals concerned about the conditions of properties there, being both an eyesore and a health hazard.
Concerned citizens say the area is now just getting worse as it doesn’t appear any of the businesses there are open any longer and the properties are falling into worse states of disrepair.
York County Commissioner Andy Bowman told his fellow board members this week how he, Sheriff Paul Vrbka and York County Attorney Gary Olson traveled to Henderson last week where they had a meeting with community leaders there.
“We had a conversation about their interchange area,” Bowman explained. “There are properties which need to be cleaned up, they are absolutely terrible. We are looking for ways to help get them cleaned up and revitalize this area. And there are also other problem properties in the county which need to be cleaned up. We are looking at what the county can do, legally. There are grants and things out there, maybe, to help us do this, but we also have to look at what our role could be for remediating these problem areas. All the properties are owned (not abandoned),” with the property taxes also paid up.
“This was talked about years ago,” Commissioner Randy Obermier noted.
“We talked about maybe some county regulations we could put in place, as there are really health concerns with these properties,” Bowman said.
“Are there any state laws pertaining to situation such as this?” Obermier asked.
Olson said there is an expert in the matter who will be at the December conference of the Nebraska Association of County Officials. “We could have an opportunity to speak with him then. He said he could work with us as a consultant as this is a complicated process. The county will need to take a really close look at this as we will need to have more teeth in the matter than we do now.”
Bowman said his conversation in Henderson indicated the improbability the city of Henderson will annex to the interchange area, “just due to the fact there is quite a bit of distance. So it looks like any sort of regulation will have to be up to us.”
“And it’s tough, especially when the taxes are paid for and all,” Obermier said, as far as the county taking ownership or responsibility of demolition/remediation/etc. “We will have to look at what we can do for them out there.”