The fate of a vacant house owned by Douglas County could by resolved by March.

Commissioners tentatively slated March 16 as their deadline to make a decision on the house and property at 1120 R.I., saying it would be difficult to come to a consensus Wednesday night.

The house has been a point of controversy for several years. Commissioners haven’t been able to agree on what to do with the house or the land.

Located near two historic buildings — the Douglas County Courthouse, 11th and Massachusetts streets, and the Old English Lutheran Church, 1040 N.H. — the house is more than 50 years old, which means the county has to submit a Historic Resources Commission review application to the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Office.

As it stands, the house has remained vacant and its condition is so poor that it can no longer be used for storage or as a rental unit, according to a memo written by County Administrator Craig Weinaug.

Commissioner Bob Johnson said he wanted more time to talk with Ed Tato, who was president of the East Lawrence Neighborhood Assn. until recently. The new president is Janet Good, said Tato, who attended Wednesday’s meeting.

Because of the continual discussions regarding the house, commissioners opted to set a March deadline to make a decision.

Commissioners also unanimously declared a retroactive state of local disaster emergency beginning Jan. 4.

Paula Phillips, director of emergency management for Douglas County, said the number of power outages due to recent storms put the county in a position for possible financial assistance.

“We can recoup some of the cost in damages involved with the storm,” Phillips told commissioners. In order to access the money, the commissioners had to pass the resolution. Phillips said the bulk of the damage was in and around Baldwin.