Kirkwood Heights Resident Wants Property Detached From Bridgeport
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- A Bridgeport resident said he and a few other property owners want to be part of Pease Township instead of the village.
During a Belmont County Commission meeting Wednesday, Kirkwood Heights Road resident Randy Becker said he and four other residents are petitioning the commission to detach their seven parcels of land from Bridgeport and attach them to Pease Township instead.
Meanwhile, in a separate matter, the commission also learned more about the updated Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Regarding the Kirkwood Heights properties, Becker said the group of residents do not believe they are receiving the services they should be for the amount of taxes they pay to the village.
“We do not do this lightly,” he said. “We feel we are not getting the value of our RITA taxes from the services rendered in our area of Bridgeport. None of the homeowners I am representing, including myself, have waste disposal, sewer, water service, gas or electric utility service through Bridgeport.
“The only service we seem to receive is street repair, snow plowing, side of the road and culvert weed eating and, we feel, occasional police patrol.”
He also noted the closet fire hydrants are nearly a mile to a half-mile away.
Becker noted the residents understand that there are several conditions that need to be met to allow the detachment to occur. Surveys will also need to be conducted.
“The parcels within the village are being taxed in substantial excess of the benefits conferred on them by reason of being in the village,” he said. “We feel that for the limited services that are rendered and the non-guarantee of services, per resolution 87.20 adopted July 20, 1987, we are being taxed, through RITA, in substantial excess of the benefits of merely being in Bridgeport.
“Furthermore, we believe that these parcels were included in the annexation when they really shouldn’t have been. The corporation limit ends at approximately 56521 Hamilton Estates Road. This is the address where Robert and Donna Meager signed. From this residence, there are four addresses to the east, toward Bridgeport, that did not sign on for annexation, but were included anyway.”
Becker said he hoped the commission would approve allowing the detachment. He provided them with more information and plat maps to read.
“We are at the end of the village, a couple of houses from the corporation limit. Pease Township and Belmont County, we feel, could easily take on the snow plowing, side of road grass mowing, police patrol and street repair,” he said. “The John Deer Tractor, numbered 1201, has an articulating brush hog attachment and could mow the sides of the road. We are used to being the last road plowed during snow storms from both Bridgeport and the county/township.”
No action was taken during the commission during the meeting. Becker said he planned to also attend a Pease Township Board meeting. He said he already attended a Bridgeport Village Council session and did not receive much feedback during the meeting.
Meanwhile, the commission also adopted the county’s latest Hazard Mitigation Plan, which must be updated every five years. Dave Ivan, director of the Belmont County Emergency Management Agency, said it took about two years for the plan to be updated with input from representatives of municipalities across the county. The plan is necessary for the county to receive any potential future FEMA funding following a natural or man-made disaster.
The commission also heard a presentation about federally-funded GoBus transportation offerings in the county by Kirby Dearth with Ohio Department of Transportation. He said people can travel from St. Clairsville to the Pittsburgh Airport for $10. There are also other destinations available. Since March, 650 rides have been taken in Belmont County on GoBus. For more information visit https://ridegobus.com/.