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Council discusses Woodbury road closure, mining activity and ordinance updates; no immediate policy vote
Summary
Council members and staff discussed a contested road-closure posting in the Woodbury area, nearby mining/topsoil removal concerns, and plans to update Marion County ordinances (including mining) with vendor CivicPlus; no formal action was taken.
Council members heard resident concerns about a posted potential road closure on Pitt Limewood Road in the Woodbury area and about recent heavy equipment activity nearby, including tree clearing, trenching and removal of topsoil.
A council member said residents reported seeing a posted notice and questioned why there was no notice at the opposite end of the roadway where it connects to U.S. 378. The county attorney (speaking on procedure) explained that the court ultimately decides a roadway-closure petition and that county staff can appear to argue for or against closure; the attorney added the Department of Natural Resources is also an owner of part of the roadway and is posting its own closure notice.
On the cost and condition of the roadway, staff said restoring the washed-out roadbed could cost “millions” of dollars, as described in the meeting, and that if others’ excavation activities caused the damage the county could pursue indemnity or litigation, though such litigation would take time and the county might be required to repair the road immediately if a judge ordered it to remain open.
Separately, council members reported apparent unpermitted excavation and topsoil removal on private property near U.S. 378, including cutting trees and burning piled material; a council member said they found no permit paperwork in an on-site white box. Council directed staff to prioritize reviewing and updating relevant ordinances, including the county’s mining ordinance (last updated in 2008) and to post updated ordinance language online so citizens can search by keyword. The county is working with CivicPlus, which provides ordinance-review legal services for counties, and staff said updates will be compared against model ordinances from peer counties.
Council members asked staff for an update on the moratorium that had been adopted previously on certain mining activities; staff said they will check records and report back at the next meeting. No formal moratorium was enacted or rescinded during this meeting.
