Hogue Home Buyout Offers - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Hogue Home Buyout Offers

The Burleigh County officials say homeowners in Hogue Island have the "final" offer for a buyout.

The Burleigh County Water Resources District is offering $1.3 million to buyout four properties north of Bismarck.

Homeowners had asked for a second appeal, and today the board made minor changes then gave their last offer.

A deal -- the Hogue Island flood victims still aren't thrilled with.

Donnell Preskey visits with one owner.

Flood waters destroyed any future some homeowners on Hogue Island had of living in their home...

Now a buyout offer -- will determine the future of the area...

Rodney Boll/Houge Island Resident: "there's more to life than houses and stuff but no one likes loosing."

Rodney Boll owns this log home -- it sits next to the home that caved into the Missouri River last summer.

He says he and the three other homeowners feel like they got "shorted" by Burleigh County.

Boll: "they were in driver seat the whole time, reminded me of conversations the state had with the corps. They had blinders on in a lot of the conversations we had with them."

The Water Resources District board gave Boll and three other homeowners a "final" offer for their properties in Hogue Island Tuesday morning.

The four homes split $1.3 million in buyout.

The board upped the offer on two homes by $2,000.

Boll says it's an insignificant, insulting kind of increase...

"they didn't need to spike the ball. This is a co. organization, think it was somewhat classless."

While the county says the buyout was based on pre-flood values -- the owners of these waterfront properties say it was a low ball figure...

A home nearby sold for about $100,000 more a few months before the flood -- than what most of the homeowners are offered.

Boll says he's relieved the negotiations are over -- but disappointed with the process the county used to buy his and his neighbors land.

"Dust off and make a good decision. Have to make a decision with your mind and not your heart on this one. Tough situation to be in."

Burleigh County needs to buy the properties in order to build a flood protection levee in the Hogue Island area.

The levee would protect homes, provide greater access and protect the South Central Water Treatment Facility.

All four homeowners have to accept the buyout for the flood protection plan to move forward.

Homeowners have until September 30th to close on the deal.