More than 31 acres could be annexed into Niles following a hearing by the Trumbull County commissioners on Dec. 7. The seven parcels are adjacent to the northeast corner of Niles’ 2nd Ward and would stretch to state Route 11. Currently, some of the parcels are in Howland Township and others are in Vienna Township.

WARREN — During their meeting Wednesday, Trumbull County commissioners accepted the filing of a petition for annexation of more than 31 acres from Howland and Vienna townships into the city of Niles.

A hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 7.

The seven parcels in question sit near a Niles subdivision off Niles Vienna Road. If annexed into the city, Niles city limits would reach to state Route 11. The hearing will be at 11:30 a.m. and all property owners within the annexed property, those adjacent to it, and the city and townships involved, are to be notified, according to Ohio Revised Code. Of the 31.3 acres proposed for annexation, 11.2 acres are in Vienna and 20.1 acres are in Howland, according to the petition.

Jeffrey and Mary Ann Heston own one of the parcels proposed to be annexed. The other six are owned by Bagnoli Irpino LLC, which is owned by Niles police Capt. James Villecco, according to Ohio Secretary of State documents. The two parties are represented by attorney Nils Peter Johnson. Eighteen parcels are adjacent to their properties.

In 2019, Niles City Council passed an ordinance requiring properties that are contiguous to the city limits and receive Niles utilities to be annexed into the city. Part of that ordinance gave city officials discretion to allow for those who were already receiving utilities not to be annexed, but Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz said new extensions would be annexed. He said the property owners in question decided to join the city of their own accord not because of pressure from the city.

Mientkiewicz said property owners get to decide where their property is and if they are outside the city, whether they want city utilities.

“If a property owner is willing to annex their property into the city, we will of course welcome them with open arms,” Mientkiewicz said.

The commissioners will have to decide whether the benefit to the properties being annexed outweigh the detriment to the properties that remain in the townships within half a mile of the annexed property. A decision must be released within 30 days of the hearing.

In a social media post, Howland Trustee Matthew Vansuch announced the Howland and Vienna boards of trustees will each have special meetings to address the petition. The post asks residents, neighboring communities, elected officials and candidates to come to the meetings, which will both be at the Howland Township Administration Building at 6 p.m. Wednesday. This is the same time Niles is to hold its regular city council meeting, which are routinely the first and third Wednesday of each month.

Vansuch said this was not intentional; it was when both boards of trustees were available.

“Given the aggressive posture of the City of Niles and its explicit economic development policy of annexing its neighbors, we are not surprised,” Vansuch said. “That does not make this action any less disappointing. It affects all of our residents.”

He went on to say that annexation removes tax dollars from the townships, therefor placing a burden on the remaining residents.

Vienna Trustee Chairman Phil Pegg said he and the other trustees oppose any annexation of Vienna land just as the Howland trustees oppose annexation of Howland land.

“This will not be favorable to anyone but a few greedy people. We will fight this,” Pegg said.

Pegg said he expects many people to attend the special joint trustees meeting on Wednesday and also the Nov. 7 regular trustees meeting now that the annexation issue with Niles city has returned again.

According to the revised code, cities must pay townships restitution on property tax the townships are losing. If the property is annexed, Niles will have to pay the following percentage of the property tax from each parcel back to the township it was previously in: 80 percent in years one through three; 52.5 percent in years four and five; 40 percent in years six through 10; and 27.5 percent in years 11 and 12. Niles Law Director Phil Zuzolo said that if the property value changes in that time, the city will have to pay based off the property value each year as it fluctuates.

Within 20 days of the hearing, Niles City Council will have to pass an ordinance defining which utilities it will provide to the parcels outlined in the annexation petition.

Mientkiewicz stressed that the city is not being malicious and anyone who says otherwise is painting a false narrative.

“That’s how communities grow all across Ohio,” he said. “We are simply following Ohio Revised Code, not doing anything egregious and have taken the same position as many other growing cities in the state of Ohio.”