Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Easement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Columbiana council says resolution passed to secure easement from Homestead; stormwater, traffic signal and railroad-rights issues remain
Summary
Council members reported passage of a resolution to secure an easement from Homestead Mortgage & Savings and discussed related stormwater work focused on Depo Street, a traffic-signal sensor repair and limitations on fixing Industrial Parkway tied to Norfolk Southern right-of-way.
The Columbiana City Council reported it passed a resolution to obtain an easement from Homestead Mortgage & Savings related to a local stormwater project, and council members discussed next steps on related infrastructure work and other maintenance needs.
The mayor said the easement sought is roughly “four one-hundredths of an acre” and that the city had previously offered to buy the land outright. An appraisal returned about 25% lower than the city’s earlier offer; the mayor said the city agreed to honor its original offer to avoid litigation and was awaiting the principal’s signature on the easement document.
Council staff told members the engineer will revise stormwater project specifications to remove portions affecting multiple Columbiana properties and instead focus work on Depo Street. The mayor said that change will prompt fresh contract negotiations once specifications are finalized.
City staff also reported a traffic signal on Main Street had erratic timing; technicians reset the cycle to 30 seconds in one direction and 35 seconds in the other but found the in-pavement vehicle sensor was not operating. City staff said they are gathering information on what the sensor repair will require so the signal can respond to traffic volumes.
Council members raised pavement problems on Industrial Parkway affecting school buses. The mayor said the road appears to lie within a Norfolk Southern right-of-way, which places “severe restrictions and limitations” on municipal work there. The city attorney identified a Norfolk Southern contact and passed that contact to the mayor; the mayor said he has not yet received a callback and will follow up.
The mayor also announced the start of the fiscal-year 2026 budget call, telling department heads to begin forecasting and submit budget requests. He provided a tentative calendar that includes council discussion in September and a planned resolution to adopt the budget later in the month.
Next steps the council identified are obtaining the Homestead principal’s signature on the easement, finalizing revised stormwater specifications for Depo Street, determining the cost and timeline to repair the in-road traffic sensor, and awaiting Norfolk Southern’s response on Industrial Parkway.
Votes at a glance: the mayor stated the council “passed a resolution” to secure the Homestead easement; no mover, seconder or roll-call tally was stated in the transcript. The city is proceeding while the seller’s signature is pending.
