I read this and I have questions

First thing that jumps at me is that the invoice took nearly 2 months for this thing to get to the commissioners.  Second, there seems to me a matter of micromanaging by a certain commissioner. Third, I'm not sure why a survey would be needed to proceed with a tax lien. Nevertheless, there would seem to be a surveyor left holding the bag.  

I think the commissioners will whine about it for a while and then pay it.

Posted by: @norman-oklahoma

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Third, I'm not sure why a survey would be needed to proceed with a tax lien.

It's not, that's why the commissioners are complaining.  Apparently it's needed for a foreclosure though.

That article reads like a sad country song (is there another kind).

The front of the courthouse is falling over from a leaning column, they loaned (really?) money to a business that doesn't pay it back, so the county files a lien (not the lean from the first part of the article), they need a survey but won't pay for it, if they foreclose on the land won't lead to anything cause they can't build on the property since FEMA declared it in the flood zone in 2024?

Yeah, just a few questions for that mess. 

According to Wikipedia Mineral County has a population of around 5000, 19% of which lives below the poverty line. So a $5000 invoice is likely a big deal.  

That amount is a pretty big deal. Most of the county officials hold dual offices and share staff. That bill is probably worth .25 fte and out of left field isn’t good.

I don’t think the fee is out of line. I wonder if this is a standalone survey contract or some type of retainer /IDIQ arrangement? 

the 2 month thing isn’t too out of line. I bet it takes 3-4 weeks just to get on the commissioner’s agenda.

https://mineralcounty-my.sharepoint.com/personal/mccommissioner_co_mineral_mt_us/_layouts/15/stream.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fmccommissioner%5Fco%5Fmineral%5Fmt%5Fus%2FDocuments%2FRecordings%2FCommissioners%20Meeting%2D20260402%5F195044UTC%2DMeeting%20Recording%2Emp4&nav=eyJyZWZlcnJhbEluZm8iOnsicmVmZXJyYWxBcHAiOiJPbmVEcml2ZUZvckJ1c2luZXNzIiwicmVmZXJyYWxBcHBQbGF0Zm9ybSI6IldlYiIsInJlZmVycmFsTW9kZSI6InZpZXciLCJyZWZlcnJhbFZpZXciOiJNeUZpbGVzTGlua0NvcHkifX0&ga=1&referrer=StreamWebApp%2EWeb&referrerScenario=AddressBarCopied%2Eview%2Ec716787f%2D33f2%2D4145%2D9297%2Db54a1fe6d4c1

Copy and paste the above to get the most recent scoop.  You can watch the entire recording of their commission meeting or read the transcript.  It is a gigantic mess.  At least with the transcript you can read that they voted to punt this back and not pay the bill.  By the way, it appears the survey crew was on site LAST AUGUST.

It is hard to follow the transcript as there is nothing to alert to when someone else is speaking.  Also, most people mentioned are simply identified as Wally and Sam and Bob and Mike and Cathy or whomever with little information to understand each person's connection.

I have spent many hours in County Commissioner Meetings over the decades and fully understand how difficult it is to understand what the transcript is actually saying.  In my County, Gail, Nich and Paul are the Commissioners.  The County Attorney is Sheryl.  And so forth and so on.  As there are only three commissioners, they must stay away from each other outside of official meetings as only two constitute a quorum.  Say two attend the same church.  They must not get close to one another in a fashion such that they COULD discuss County business for any amount of time.  The same applies at school or any other public gathering.

It appears that Mineral County is a lien holder of the subject property.  A real estate agent is involved.  The debt amotrizes a year or more down the road.  The survey apparently shows how the flood plain devalues the property.  However, from later information it is clear that the property is worth far more than the amount that needs to be paid to pay off the debt owed to the county.

Several County policies probably need to be investigated to clarify whether or not everyone in the chain of command understands what should have happened.  For example, department heads and other elected official will typically have a dollar figure (Maximum) for which they are allowed to spend without prior permission of the Commissioners.  That figure might be $2500 or $10,000 or $20,000 depending on the size of business they conduct in their annual budget  Clearly, that figure must be a low number in Mineral County.  A valid question is why did the survey invoice go to the Attorney. Who signed a real estate agency listing with the agent at the meeting?

The true culprit in this story is most likely the political system as it has functioned for a few decades regardless of which party appears to be in charge.  For example, a City or County can issue Industrial Revenue Bonds to funnel the money to a private organization to create an all new or major expansion of a facility.  The company gives ownership over to City or County while the bonded debt is to be paid off.  If all goes well, the debt is paid in full and the City or County returns ownership to the private organization.  If things go bad, the City or County ends up with something for which they have no need.  Sometimes the entity will sign over everything to the government unit.  There are all sorts of crooks who go from location to location selling their snake oil remedies to communities who are desperate to believe they will be saved somehow.