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HARTINGTON — The debate over a possible road closure in northeastern Cedar County seems to get muddier with each passing day.
Cedar County Commissioners held a hearing earlier this summer to discuss closing a two-mile stretch of 576 Avenue between 884 Road and 886 Road, along the Dixon–Cedar County line.
After a constituent requested the closure, Cedar County Road Superintendent Carla Schmidt inspected the road and filed a report recommending that a portion be closed.
What began as a routine procedural matter has since turned into a complex dispute involving property boundaries, historical road use and jurisdictional questions between the two counties.
Local landowner Jerry Stewart, who farms property adjacent to the road, told commissioners Tuesday the stretch has not been maintained or used for at least 50 years.
He said the road has deteriorated badly, with deep erosion and trees growing in the right-of-way, and that both counties have effectively abandoned it.
Stewart said adjacent land on both sides of the county line has long been fenced off, with no public use or maintenance. He said the route is now overgrown and impassable and that aerial imagery confirms its disuse.
Stewart, who purchased his farm and pasture in 2002, said he consulted with Dixon County supervisors in 2005 and was given permission to fence across the old road because it was considered closed. County plat maps from 2006 and 2007, he added, do not show 576 Avenue continuing between 884 and 886 Roads.
In 2019, Stewart said he and his neighbor agreed to work together to clean and fence the property line. Stewart said he believed the fence would follow the old road’s centerline but later discovered his neighbor had built a fence about 33 feet onto his side. When questioned, Stewart said, the neighbor argued the road had never been closed — a claim Stewart disputes.
Stewart said he later contacted Schmidt, who told him there were no records showing the road closure had ever been finalized. That discovery, Stewart said, reignited the disagreement. He said he has farmed along the fence line for years and recently asked the county to formally close the remaining section and move the fence to the true property boundary.
According to Stewart, his neighbor wants Dixon and Cedar counties to reopen and rebuild a half-mile portion of the road for private access.
Stewart argues reopening it would waste taxpayer money and serve no public purpose, as there are no structures along the route and a mailroute road already provides alternate access.
Commissioner Dick Donner said he is concerned that closing the road could leave a property owner landlocked — something he does not want to see happen.
Commissioner Dave Mc-Gregor said several legal questions must be resolved before any decision can be made. He asked Cedar County Attorney Ron Temple to confer with Dixon County Attorney Lee Minor about the matter.
Temple told commissioners Tuesday that his attempts to reach Minor have so far been unsuccessful.
Stewart urged the board to act in the public interest, noting that Cedar County maintains roughly 650 miles of road and Dixon County about 450 miles. Maintaining or rebuilding unused roads, he said, diverts scarce resources from those that serve the public.
No decision was made at Tuesday's meeting. Temple said he will continue reaching out to the Dixon County Attorney in hopes of finding a resolution.
