Ashland junkyard owner Arlo Remmen is appealing a $106,250 fine imposed by a Saunders County district judge in July.

Ashland City Attorney Mark Fahleson said Remmen, owner of Ashland Salvage Inc., filed the appeal within the 30-day period allowed by state law.

The appeal is pending before the Nebraska  Court of Appeals but no date has been set for a hearing.

On July 16, Judge Mary Gilbride gave Remmen 90 days to pay the $106,250 fine for violating solid waste and environmental laws.

 For years, Remmen stored thousands of scrap tires, appliances, used oil, lead batteries, construction debris, old computers and other trash along U.S. 6 on the edge of Ashland.

City officials considered Remmen’s junkyard an eyesore and a potential health risk and started a protacted legal battle to get him to clean up his property. They won. Armed with a court order, they hired contractors in January to clean up Remmen’s property. They city spent an estimated $300,000.

After Judge Gilbride imposed the fine, Remmen told the Lincoln Journal Star in an interview: “Who’s got that kind of money?”

On Monday, Remmen, 68, filed an affidavit with Saunders County District Court asking that payment of the fine be indefinitely postponed.

In the affidavit, Remmen said he has not had any “material income” since Ashland officials cleaned up his junkyard and salvage operation. He said he is living on a monthly Social Security check and working odd jobs to make ends meet.

As far as selling his land, Remmen wrote: “Although I have visited with people about buying the land to raise money, no one is interested because of the apparent liens upon the land, which is to say there appear to be much more in liens or potential liens than people think the land is worth. Because of the circumstances described above, it is not possible for me to pay the civil penalties …”

Terry Barber of Lincoln, Remmen’s attorney, could not be reached for comment.

Remmen also could be facing further penalties. In a Sept. 27 opinion, the Nebraska Court of Appeals ruled that Remmen and his company and Timothy Decker of Ashland should not have been dismissed from a lawsuit filed by the City of Ashland against Marline Crouch.

Crouch, who owns property north of Ashland, has been fighting the city, which claims she is using her property as a junkyard and salvage operation, in violation of zoning regulations. City officials said it constituted a “public nuisance.” Decker and Remmen stored salvage materials and vehicles on her land, according to the court filing.

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at (402) 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.