But liable or not, the council will consider what actions it can take to prevent the slide from taking out more homes. Residents were largely focused on showing the council what was happening at the top of the slide, above Hayes' home, an area of the slide they believe is key to any preventive efforts.

Armed with studies on the effects of retaining walls, vegetation, road beds and other factors, residents plan to address the council at its July 18 meeting, when the issue will be on the agenda for discussion and possible action.

County engineer Austin Rowser said he has been studying how best to tackle the problem. He said it will be a tough balancing act. The sidewalk along Creekside Drive is covered in places by mud and rocks that slid down from Hayes' back yard. While he understands that neighbors want that cleaned up for the safety of pedestrians, Rowser said he has to be careful that removing the debris doesn't further weaken the land above it.

But it's in dealing with the bigger-picture cleanup and prevention that residents really hope for county help.

"Putting a Band-Aid on the road is not solving the problem," Pugh said. "Cleaning the dirt off the sidewalk is not solving the problem."

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E-MAIL: dsmeath@desnews.com