Xenia residents press council for quicker street repairs, describe vehicle damage

Multiple Xenia residents used the audience‑comment portion of the July 24 City Council meeting to urge faster, neighborhood‑level street repairs and to describe vehicle damage they attribute to potholes and failing pavement.

Dale Lauderback, a resident of Eagles Way, asked council to “consider in 2026 putting that on the agenda,” referring to North King Street and North Galloway Street. Julia Reed, 2268 Capistrano Drive, said poor pavements are “not only damage cars, they also destroy the beauty of their neighborhoods,” and added that visitors have told her the condition of streets would discourage them from buying property.

Several speakers described specific vehicle damage. Christian Steen, who said he lives at 377 North King Street, said he has replaced side mirrors four times because drivers swerve to avoid potholes: “I'm now on my fourth driver's side mirror because people side swipe my van so often.” He also described a recent incident where a pothole “popped the ball joint out of its socket.”

Other residents echoed the complaints and asked the city to declare a street emergency for certain neighborhoods. Thomas Scruggins listed specific blocks — South Columbus Street between Second and 68, North Patton Street and East Third Street — and urged the council to “declare an emergency because of our streets and their condition.” Lee Moon, 338 North King Street, said short‑term patching is inadequate because “there's no base to where they can hold up” and the holes reappear within weeks.

Not all comments were limited to paving. Erin Lang raised concerns about other neighborhood problems and suggested parking and driveway policies could help raise funds: “If you have multiple cars, they should not be on the streets or you should have to pay,” she said, adding the revenue could be used for street repairs or parking enforcement.

Council response and linkage to agenda Council members acknowledged the comments and pointed to items later in the meeting addressing streets, including a planned discussion of the city’s street program (referenced in the meeting as Resolution 2025‑539) and the income‑tax ordinance and ballot resolution to raise dedicated street funding. Mayor Urschel and staff repeatedly told speakers the city has increased annual street spending in recent years but that the magnitude of the backlog requires additional, dedicated revenue to accelerate work.

How the city characterizes current work Staff and council said recent efforts have prioritized thoroughfares and state routes where state grants match local dollars; councilmembers repeatedly said neighborhood streets have been deferred for decades and that the city needs a sustained funding infusion to address the problem comprehensively.

Ending note The public comments set the tone for the council’s later action to place the income‑tax question on the November ballot and underscored residents’ urgency about neighborhood pavements and vehicle damage.