Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton The Warren County Commissioners own this property on Madison Ave. as a result of a 2017 drug asset forfeiture. They agreed on Monday to take the trees down at the property in wake of complaints and concerns about the effects to neighboring properties.

A 2017 asset forfeiture case that dropped three properties into the lap of the county commissioners is now going to cost the county and its taxpayers about $12,000 for tree removal.

The whole saga goes back to a criminal case against a man sent to state prison on charges including running a corrupt organization.

As part of a plea deal, according to exhibits filed with the county’s suit — an action to quit title — the defendant agreed to an asset forfeiture that included several vehicles as well as three properties in the City of Warren — 13 Madison Ave., 11 Madison Ave. and 414 Laurel St.

Online assessment records currently list the commissioners as the owners of the properties.

City staff have previously said that there are liens against the properties from before the county took ownership and that notices of violation had been issued due to the condition of the sidewalks.

The trees at the Madison Avenue properties were the issue before the commissioners on Monday.

Commissioner Ben Kafferlin said there had been complaints about the trees.

Matt Nordin, the county’s maintenance director, said during the work session meeting that two of the trees are “center rotted” with splits and “pressure cracks.”

Solicitor Nathaniel Schmidt twice advised the commissioners to focus solely on what could be considered a maintenance action.

“The thing about all of them,” Nordin said, “anything that comes off those trees (has) potential for damage to the surrounding properties.”

He noted that one of the trees leans over the house at an adjacent property. Another has a “lot of dead branches over the top of the neighboring properties.”

Nordin said it appears that the corner of the house on the property may be holding one of the trees in place.

The commissioners ultimately decided that if a tree removal firm was going to be at the property they may, as Commissioner Jeff Eggleston said, “just get rid of the trees.”

Schmidt told them that he would be petitioning the county to have the property sold in the next 60 to 90 days and the commissioners “should be able to recoup the expenses out of the sale of the property.”

“That’s optimistic,” Kafferlin said.

“(I’d) rather be on the safe side and take care of it,” Eggleston said. “(The) big thing for us is removing the liability.”