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Cities and county engineers urge Senate to remove language barring eminent domain for trails
Summary
Multiple municipal planning groups and county engineers told the committee House budget language that would exclude recreational trails from "public use" for eminent domain would harm transportation planning and risk legal fights; speakers asked the Senate to strike the provision.
Speakers representing the Mid‑Ohio Regional Planning Commission, county engineers association and municipal leaders told the committee that House language barring use of eminent domain for recreational trails would hamper local planning, risk legal challenges and could delay funded projects.
Emily Keeler, council president of the City of Grandview Heights, described trails as integral to transportation and economic activity and opposed removing recreational trails from the public‑use definition. "Trails are integral to a community's quality of life and offer numerous benefits to residents and visitors alike," she said, noting usage data and local examples where trails boost nearby commercial activity.
Chris Bosterman and Mike Paniewski of the County Engineers Association of Ohio warned the committee that the provision mirrors earlier controversial language from Wisconsin that led to canceled or delayed projects and legal disputes. Paniewski said the restriction could be used to frustrate local safety projects—including sidewalks and shoulder expansions—and called the Wisconsin result a cautionary tale. The engineers explained eminent domain is a last resort used rarely after years of planning and negotiations and that removing the option for trail projects would create project gridlock, increase costs and put federal funding at risk for shovel‑ready projects.
William Murdoch of MORPC asked the Senate to remove the provision and noted passenger‑rail and trail planning are both time‑sensitive initiatives that benefit from clear local authority and access to federal matching funds.
Ending: County engineers and regional planners urged the Senate to restore local authority to use eminent domain in rare, justified cases for trails so locally planned transportation and safety projects can proceed without the legal uncertainty the House provision would introduce.
