Residents ask Delaware County to delay vacating two bridges as family readies farm auction
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Summary
At a public hearing Nov. 17, family representatives urged Delaware County commissioners to postpone two proposed bridge/road vacations — one near East Wade Street and one on County Road 200 West — citing pending land auctions, potential multiple buyers and uncertainty over access; commissioners introduced but did not adopt the ordinances to preserve public comment time.
Delaware County commissioners opened a public hearing Nov. 17 on petitions to vacate two bridge-related rights of way: a bridge on East Wade Street behind the Muncie Sanitary District facility and a bridge near County Road 200 West north of County Road 400 South. County staff explained notice had been published and described the parcels in question.
Mara Hopwood, representing the Miller family, told commissioners the family patriarch recently died and the heirs plan a January auction of roughly 218 acres across five tracts. Hopwood asked the commission to table the 200 West vacation until March or April so potential buyers and property divisions are clear and the county can make an informed decision. She added that an engineer who inspected the Wade Street bridge found it in good condition with no current weight restrictions.
A neighboring landowner, Joshua Dearing, said he received notice only days before the meeting and was uncertain whether the portion of road on his property would be affected. County staff clarified the county controls bridges (by statute) while road vacations are handled by the city council; staff said the Wade Street bridge had been unused for about a decade and the 200 West bridge had been used only for farm access for many decades.
Staff also reported inventory classifications: the Wade Street structure (inventory number 507) is in a high-priority category for attention, while the other structure (190) is in the second-most critical group. Commissioners and staff explained that vacating a bridge removes it from the county—s maintenance inventory and that, under Indiana title law, right-of-way use reverts to adjacent owners after the county stops using the roadway.
Commissioners opted to introduce the vacation ordinances to create the two-week public-comment window required by procedure; introduction preserves the option of tabling or killing the measures at second reading. A formal motion closed the public hearing; the vacation ordinances were introduced but not adopted during the Nov. 17 meeting, and staff said reciprocal action or additional review could occur at a later date if property ownership changes after the family auction.