Approximately two weeks ago, after a drive-by examination of municipal residential lots, letters of violation of the town’s junk ordinance were sent to property owners from the Pine Haven clerk’s office, under the auspices of the council, regarding mowing privately owned overgrown areas.

Clerk/Treasurer Tammie McGovern recently noted an unexpected issue as recipients began to call the office in response, namely owners of undeveloped parcels: “We don’t know who the empty lots belong to if they don’t have utilities in the system.”

This problem led to a search of property records...