LAWTON – City Council members directed staffers Tuesday to start conducting title chain research for city-owned property on the west side of Lake Ellsworth.
The council voted 5-2 to have city staffers do the research, which will identify all surface and subsurface interests in the property, as well as any obstacles that might prevent the city from selling it someday. Title chain research helps property owners understand who owned the land in the past, as well as any restrictions affecting how the land is used.
The council did not set a deadline for finishing the work. Lake Ellsworth, which serves as a fishing and camping spot, also supplies some of Lawton’s drinking water, said City Attorney John Ratliff. The city owns property on the west side of the lake, which includes part of Chandler Creek.
Ratliff said the Oklahoma Water Resources Board has identified Chandler Creek, which is one of three tributaries flowing into the lake, as a sensitive water supply. He said the city could sell the property, in theory, but a wide variety of governmental regulations would complicate any potential sale.
Ratliff said he did not think the city needed to research title issues associated with the property, since officials aren’t interested in selling it.
“It is our strong recommendation that we don’t do this research because in the end, we don’t think that we want to sell this property,” he said. Councilman Randy Warren said the question was not whether the city was interested in selling the property, but whether the council wanted more information about how the city acquired the land.
“We don’t even know what year we got some of this property,” he said. “Those are all things that we need to know, regardless of whether we sell the property or keep it or lease it or anything else.”
Councilman Jay Burk also said he thought the city should look into those issues. “I just think we need to know more,” Burk said.
But Councilman Sean Fortenbaugh said he wondered why the city should spend time delving into the title chain for the property, since officials aren’t planning to sell it.
“I just don’t see a compelling need,” concluded Fortenbaugh.