Niles refiles request to annex land

Resolution likely will restart battle with Vienna, Howland

NILES -- City Council voted 6-1 Wednesday to approve a resolution that likely will restart an annexation fight between the city and Howland and Vienna townships.

The resolution, which was passed without discussion, outlines the services the city intends to provide to two property owners who have once again filed a petition to be annexed into Niles.

Councilman Stephen Papalas abstained from the vote because he works for the Trumbull County Engineer's Office.

Seven parcels are proposed to be annexed, including one belonging to Jeffrey and Mary Ann Heston and six owned by Bagnoli Irpino LLC, which is owned by Niles police Capt. James Villecco, according to Ohio Secretary of State documents. Of the 31.3 acres in question, 11.2 are in Vienna and 20.1 are in Howland.

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.

Upon annexation into Niles, the city would provide the properties with police, fire, power, zoning, water and, if and when possible, sewer services. The legislation states that all of the services, outside of sewer, would be available upon the completion of the annexation estimated to be on or about Jan. 1, 2024.

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 already were receiving utilities not to be annexed.

Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz previously said new extensions would be annexed. He said the property owners in question knew this and decided to join the city of their own accord, not because of pressure from the city.

Officials in Howland and Vienna previously objected to annexation efforts by Niles and passed resolutions opposing the effort. Weathersfield also is opposed to annexation because its borders also abut Niles.

The annexation of the properties has seen several delays to its originally scheduled hearing with Trumbull County commissioners, which was supposed to occur on Dec. 7, 2022. On April 26 of this year, the petition again was withdrawn, putting a stop to annexation discussions.

Niles council had to pass legislation outlining which utilities it plans to provide to the properties, if they were to become part of the city, 20 days prior to another hearing.

During that hearing, the commissioners will have to decide whether the benefits 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.

With council outlining the services it would provide during its meeting Wednesday, the path to the annexation hearing is clearer.

In other business, council approved preliminary participatory legislation allowing the Ohio Department of Transportation to resurface sections of state routes within city limits next year. In the agreement, ODOT will pay 80 percent of the total cost to resurface state Route 46 from Robbins Avenue to Niles Vienna Road and state Route 169 from Vienna Road to just east of Russell Avenue. With the agreement, Niles agrees to pay the other 20 percent of the project's total cost as well as the entire cost of any feature for the project that ODOT does not deem necessary.