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Commissioners say county has limited authority over private-easement fiber work after residents report months-long yard disruptions
Summary
Commissioners and the county engineer discussed multiple complaints about fiber companies leaving private-easement work unfinished; county staff said the county issues permits only for work in the road right-of-way and typically lacks authority over private utility easements.
Commissioners and County Engineer Andy Conrad addressed public complaints about fiber companies leaving private yards and private-utility easements in disrepair for months after boring or other work.
Commissioner Sweatick raised constituent reports that fiber contractors — referenced by residents as Frontier and others — start work and do not finish, leaving conduit and open excavation visible for prolonged periods. "People call and don't get an answer, don't get clarity on what's going on," Sweatick said.
County Engineer Andy Conrad told the board the county typically issues permits when work affects the road right-of-way (for example boring under a road or stringing fiber on poles in the roadway) and that those permitted operations usually proceed on a faster schedule. "But the bulk of what we're seeing complaints on is when they're working in the private utilities ... it's outside of the road right-of-way. So we're not a permitting authority," Conrad said. He explained that the conduit installation and the later fiber-stringing are often performed by separate contractors on different schedules.
Conrad said the county has productive working relationships with two of the companies and that one company has a complaint portal where residents can file issues by address. He said the county can collect contact information and share it with trustees and residents; commissioners asked that the county forward contact details to a designated county staffer to serve as a clearinghouse.
Commissioner Sweatick asked whether the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has enforcement authority; Conrad said he was not personally aware but offered to check. The discussion emphasized that private-easement work is more difficult for county oversight and that relaying service-provider contact information to residents is the immediate practical step the county could take.
Ending
Conrad agreed to provide contact information for service providers after the meeting and county staff agreed to route incoming complaints to a designated county contact so residents can be referred to the appropriate company or trustee.
