Otter Tail County Board Approves Adding Tax-Forfeited Parcel to Phelps Mill Park

The Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners took a step toward expanding one of the county's most visited historic parks Monday, unanimously approving the addition of a small tax-forfeited parcel to Phelps Mill County Park.

The board's March 10 vote sets in motion a state-level process required to formally transfer the parcel into county park ownership. Tax-forfeited land reverts to the state when property owners fail to pay taxes; absorbing such parcels into existing public land requires state approval before the transfer is complete.

The county itself initiated the request, signaling an interest in consolidating the land with the existing park boundaries rather than returning it to private sale. Phelps Mill County Park, situated along the Otter Tail River near Fergus Falls, is home to the 1889 Phelps Mill, one of the best-preserved historic grist mills in Minnesota and a centerpiece of the county's cultural heritage programming.

The board offered no dissenting votes, suggesting broad consensus among commissioners that incorporating the parcel serves the public interest. The precise size and location of the parcel relative to the existing park boundaries were not detailed in the board's action, but the county characterized it as small.

The next steps will unfold at the state level, where the formal transfer process must be completed before the parcel becomes part of Phelps Mill County Park.