Raeburn and Jill Lisher found a surprise waiting for them when they recently reread the deed to the property they’ve owned for 43 years.

A small wedge of land on the south edge of their property along Lone Star in southern Douglas County didn’t belong to them; it belonged to the county.

“We don’t really read deeds that much. We just knew that little triangle (of land) was there, but we didn’t realize we didn’t own it,” Raeburn Lisher said.

The county didn’t know it owned the land, either, according to county surveyor Michael Kelly. The small parcel is 254 feet long and 16 feet wide at its widest. It had been included with the rest of the Lishers’ land in determining their property taxes.

The annual taxes on that piece of ground at most has been about $15, County Administrator Craig Weinaug said.

The Lishers don’t want to be reimbursed for those taxes. They just want the county to go ahead and turn over the land to them. They made that request to county commissioners Monday. The resolution will be presented at tonight’s meeting or a future meeting.

Commissioners Bob Johnson, Jere McElhaney and Charles Jones directed the administrator’s office to prepare a resolution that would allow the land to legally be turned over to the Lishers. Commissioners also, however, said they wanted to retain possession of an easement that allows another property owner access to his property behind the Lishers’ land.

Commissioners tonight also will consider:

¢ Adopting resolutions and amendments for subdivision and zoning regulations.

¢ Amending growth management and residential development chapters in the city-county planning document, Horizon 2020.

¢ Approving amendments to the 2006 county budget.

Commissioners meet at 6:35 p.m. today on the second floor of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Mass.