The Warren County Commission has offered to make minor improvements to Stuerman Road, though it insists a signed agreement must be finalized before any work begins. Wright City and the county are in a dispute as to who owns the road and who should be responsible for maintaining it. A stretch of Stuerman Road has become nearly impassable on one side due to buckling pavement. Stuerman Road serves as the lone entrance from Highway H into the Falcon Crest and Timber Trails subdivisions in the southwest part of the city. The road is only about 12 feet wide for the first half-mile stretch and is not aligned with the remainder of a wider portion closer to the subdivisions' entrances. During a meeting with Wright City officials and concerned property owners last Thursday, Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said the county wants the city to stop issuing building permits for property located inside the two subdivisions and to execute a quit-claim deed that would transfer ownership of the road to the city from the county. "I think we would be willing to fix the road so it's passable," Engelage said. "We have problems and concerns with safety on Highway H. I think we need to have assurances that no more building goes on and we want to make sure in writing, from everybody signed, that you have a quit-claim deed to us before we fix it." Officials from the county and city agreed during the hour-long discussion to work on a solution rather than take the issue to court and both sides incur legal expenses. "I think the county and the city can work something up," Alderman Jamey Abercrombie said. "I really do want to get this resolved." Last week's meeting followed a lengthy discussion Jan. 28 that attempted to determine ownership of the road, which many agree to be technically owned by the county. However, county officials contend that the city wanted to take over the road and agreed to have a quit-claim deed in place to transfer ownership in 2006. The quit-claim deed was prepared, according to city officials, but was voted down by the board at that time. PR Development, the company which developed the lots, indicated it was going to maintain and relocate the road but did not follow through. Since that time, the company filed for bankruptcy and is no longer around, according to city officials. The city also failed to collect escrow money that could have been used after the company failed to complete the work as promised. According to county commission minutes from March 20, 2006, a public hearing was held and the commission voted to deed Stuerman Road over to the city. Several city officials attended, including former Mayor Eileen Klocke and Public Works Director Larry Janish. At the hearing, city and county officials agreed that Stuerman Road would remain open once a new access to the subdivisions was built and relocated on top of a hill south of its present location, due to safety concerns raised by MoDOT. The road dispute has left the county commission questioning why the city failed to follow through on the agreement. "When the mayor comes to you, we felt they had approval from the board," Engelage said. "Why would the city have the attorney draw up the quit-claim deed if it wasn't approved? To me, everything points that (the city owns) it except for the signature on the bottom line." Engelage also pointed out that city minutes from Oct 27, 2005, showed that aldermen agreed to accept Stuerman Road from the county. However, since a vote was not recorded, Mayor Roy White contends that a verbal agreement is not legally binding. Referring to a city meeting held March 13, 2008, White said it's his belief that the city wanted no part of accepting Stuerman Road. Alderman Jim Schuchmann suggested the city revisit a proposed plan to pay for the road improvement through a Neighborhood Improvement tax that would be assessed to each of the lots in the two subdivisions. It was estimated to take 15 to 20 years to generate enough funds to fix the road. "As it is now, it's a bitter pill for everybody to swallow," Schuchmann remarked. The continued neglect and deterioration of Stuerman Road has angered homeowners who live in the two subdivisions as well as construction companies trying to build homes there. Robert Bruner owns 120 lots that he purchased through foreclosure and is concerned about attracting potential home buyers. He said he was under the assumption that the city owned and subsequently maintained the road. "Without a road, I have zero chance of selling a home," Bruner said. Barbara Grab, who lives in Falcon Crest, argued that the city should never have let residents move into the subdivision until the quit claim deed was finalized. She also opposed having to pay a tax to have the road upgraded. "I don't think the residents should be punished for what the city dropped," she said. "Wright City wanted our tax dollars, but yet dropped the ball." Matt Kaatman, who bought his home in 2008, also said he had an e-mail confirmation from the city stating Stuerman Road was going to be maintained by the city. At the very least, he feels the city should be held accountable for not collecting any escrow money prior to the developer disappearing. "I feel like the city should take some responsibility for not collecting the money and not doing its job," Kaatman said. According to Engelage, the county hasn't done work of any kind to Stuerman Road since the public hearing held March 20, 2006. The city does plow snow off the road, White said, since the city has to drive back to the two subdivisions. Ken McLaughlin, who lives on property adjoining Stuerman Road to the north, noted at last week's meeting Wright City's master plan includes extending Stuerman Road to Stracks Church Road.