TRUMBULL COUNTY Annex attempt denied

A commissioner said the annexation was denied because the annexation hearing was not advertised properly.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County commissioners have denied the annexation of more than 300 acres to the village of Newton Falls.
The proposal was the largest annexation by acreage to come before the commissioners in the past two decades.
The proposal would have annexed 182 acres of Braceville Township and 123 acres of Newton Township to Newton Falls.
Rejection reason: Commissioners turned down the annexation because the petitioner did not advertise the annexation hearing properly, commissioner Michael O'Brien said Thursday.
State law requires that a legal notice to advertise the annexation run in a local newspaper. O'Brien said an ad did run but it said the property was to be annexed to Warren.
"If they want to pursue this, then they are going to have to start again," O'Brien said. He declined to say if he was in favor of the annexation.
The annexation was proposed by David Hanson, who owns the largest portion of the properties -- an irregularly shaped 31 acres north of state Route 5 in Braceville, and a second, 268-acre, parcel that straddles both sides of Ravenna-Warren Road and includes 145 acres in Braceville and 123 acres in Newton Township. The two properties are not connected.
Also included in the annexation is an electrical substation owned by Newton Falls, a section of the Ohio Turnpike and railroad tracks owned by CSX.
The largely undeveloped property includes a former supermarket distribution center and Hanson's house. Water and sewer service already is available to the property off new lines along Ravenna-Warren Road, but Hanson said he wanted to take advantage of the lower rates Newton Falls offers for village residents.
Neither Hanson nor Newton Falls officials could be reached to comment.
Townships oppose it: Trustees from both townships say they oppose the annexation because it strips the townships of land for potential development and future tax revenue.
In December, county commissioners were presented with a petition signed by about 250 Braceville residents who opposed the annexation.
sinkovich@vindy.com