Landowner Errick Tashro said Monday he intends to investigate whether Wild broke any laws last week when he had the developer of Tashro's subdivision, Hamlet Homes, move a fence at the rear of his property on the city's west side.

"It just doesn't seem right," Tashro said.

Wild conceded that "technically" he should not have had the fence moved before the council formally voted on the matter.

He said he consulted the two council members most familiar with the issue as well as the mayor by telephone before directing the fence be moved. "We knew we would need to formalize that," he said.

Mayor James Behunin agreed.

"It wasn't done the right way," Behunin said. But, he added, "I have a hard time faulting a guy for trying to get a job done."

The dispute arose after Hamlet Homes put the white vinyl fence, which was supposed to go along Tashro's property line, farther out into property designated for a park.

Instead of moving the fence, the City Council voted in September to hand over the tiny strip of land that was supposed to be part of the park to Tashro and one of his neighbors.

"It's a few feet of land and the council said, 'Hey, just deed over the land. It's not that big of a deal,' " Behunin said. "It's easier for the city to just give them the land and let them mow the grass there."

But then a disagreement arose between the city and the property owners. Tashro and his neighbor asked for the $5,000 that Hamlet Homes had dedicated to landscape that strip. "Some council members thought that was too sweet a deal," Behunin said.

Wild said that because he was told by one of the property owners that the deal was off if they didn't get the $5,000, he talked with the two council members and mayor. They agreed the fence should be moved because Hamlet Homes workers were in the area and it fit their scheduling to do it last Thursday, he said.

The council also had previously set an Oct. 15 deadline for Hamlet to complete the path and fence, and Wild said he feared that deadline would not be met if the fence were not moved last week.

Tashro said that although he and the neighbor had requested the $5,000 for landscaping, he assumed discussions with the city would continue.

Tashro said Wild misrepresented the city's decision to move the fence.

"He made it sound like he was no part of the decision. [He said], 'They had a meeting last night, the council and mayor, and they told me this is what they wanted to do.'

"That's the part that really bothers me," Tashro said. "The process fell apart. It looks like you've got a rogue administrator."

Wild denied telling Tashro there had been a meeting. "I would not have represented it that way," he said.

Tashro said he will request the council agree to landscape the current gap between the fence and a new park path. If not, he will ask that the fence be moved back where it was and the land deeded to him so he can maintain it.

Behunin said he would have preferred to have the council discuss moving the fence in an open meeting before any action was taken. But, he said, "it comes down to no harm, no foul."

kmoulton@sltrib.com