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JOHNSTON -- Township officials said they will check with legal counsel to see about getting back nearly 400 acres of land that was annexed from the township into Cortland in the 1980s.
Trustees were discussing the township borders this week for the 2020 census and said they were going to check with attorney Mark Finamore if they can move forward to get acreage located near the southwestern part of the township back into Johnston.
Trustee Dominic Marchese said back in the 1980s, the land was annexed into the city corporation with plans by a developer to develop the area for new houses and condominiums.
"Johnston could possibly sue Cortland to get this land since it was not all developed. There is only one small housing area by the tracks, but that is it. The rest is still vacant," he said.
Marchese said if the residents in the area wanted to be in Johnston, they could petition the township. Then the trustees could move forward with action.
"I don't know if there is a precedence of communities that were annexed trying to get the land back. That is what we are trying to find out. I think this would be a worthy undertaking," he said.
Trustee Chairman Davis Denman said the area includes properties off Louis and Blake boulevards and the roads that connect off the two thoroughfares. The area is located north of Bradley Brownleee Road.Nick Coggins, assistant director for the Trumbull County Planning Commission, said because the property is located within Cortland's incorporated area, it would have to be Cortland's decision what to do with the land.
"I am sure the city will not want to give up the land," he said.
Coggins said he is not aware of any time limit that annexed land can be taken back by a township.
Cortland Mayor Deidre Petrosky said she and other city officials were not aware Johnston officials even were discussing trying to get the land back.
Petrosky said she remembers developer Louis DeSimone had plans for a residential housing development when she was first on council. She remembers houses being constructed on part of the 400 acres in the 1990s.
"None of the Johnston officials have contacted me or approached Cortland officials. If there were questions or any action taken by Johnston, our legal counsel, Patrick Wilson, would handle this," Petrosky said.
She said Cortland officials would work to protect land within the city limits and questioned if residents living there would want to be in the township because they receive services from Cortland.
Annexation has been a topic of discussion in recent months because Niles City Council passed legislation in November requiring contiguous residents and businesses using city utilities -- including water, sewer and electricity -- be annexed into the city. Noncontiguous parties or those that remain outside the corporate limit will be expected to pay the amount equal to the city income tax that would have been paid if those parties were annexed.
The move has been met with opposition from residents, elected officials and safety services in the affected Howland and Weathersfield townships.