Officials turn down proposed annexation

Petitioners anticipate their land being sold for commercial development.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Citing technical defects in the application, Mahoning County commissioners rejected a proposed annexation from Green Township into Salem on Tuesday.
Twenty-two petitioners had sought to have their property, a total of just less than 58 acres, annexed in anticipation of its eventually being bought for commercial development. It's on the east end of Salem, near Wal-Mart and other commercial ventures.
Atty. Frederic Naragon of Salem, who represented the petitioners, was not available to comment on whether the landowners will try again.
The resolution said Salem failed to provide an approximate date by which it would provide services to the annexed land as required by law.
Commissioners also held that annexing would create a situation in which a street or highway would be divided as a boundary line between the city and township, creating a road maintenance problem.
The city had not demonstrated that, as a condition of the annexation, it would assume maintenance of the road, which is not identified in the resolution.
Donald Kuhns, Green Township trustee, said he was pleased that the annexation was rejected. Trustees opposed the measure because of the potential loss of property tax revenue it would impose.
Health insurance contract
Later in their meeting, commissioners awarded a contract for employee health insurance to Medical Mutual of Ohio, upon the recommendation of Connie Pierce, human resources director.
Pierce said the county's projected maximum costs are expected to increase only about 2.2 percent next year, from the current $12.8 million to $13.1 million.
The county sought bids for health insurance, and Medical Mutual submitted what was deemed to be the best proposal, Pierce said.
She said it's a two-year contract with the possibility of extending it to a third year.
Commissioners also accepted a $3 million grant for residential lead abatement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Gary Singer, program director, said the county has received a total of some $15 million in such grants since it was created in February 1997.
The money is used for removing lead from homes for low-income people to prevent lead poisoning in children.
Studies have shown that childhood lead poisoning causes reduced intelligence, reading and learning disabilities and has been linked to juvenile delinquency and other adverse health effects.