Rush County schedules May 19 hearing after property owner seeks alley vacation

A property owner asked the Rush County commissioners to vacate a short alley and clean up property lines near 502 North Railroad, and the board set a public hearing for May 19 at 9:30 a.m. to consider the request.

The petitioner, identified in the transcript as Speaker 2, said the strip contains old, now-abandoned railroad tracks and described trees and a narrow grassy separation between properties. "I'm wanting to get an alley vacated on my property I recently bought," Speaker 2 said, noting the railroad had been shut down and there has been no access.

County staff outlined the steps required to proceed. Speaker 2 (staff/advising role in the transcript) told the petitioner the county would send the materials needed to schedule an abandonment hearing and advised the petitioner to send certified notices to affected property owners. "If I were you though, I would call them, send them a letter with the notice," the advising speaker said, recommending direct outreach so neighbors are not surprised by the proceeding.

The board then voted to move forward with the process and scheduled an in-lieu public hearing for May 19 at 09:30. A motion and second were recorded and the presiding speaker called for a vote; the transcript records the call for a vote and the phrase "All in favor? Aye" followed by "Motion carries." The transcript does not include a roll-call vote or a named tally.

Next steps: the petitioner must complete certified notice to affected owners and the county will publish and hold the scheduled public hearing. The hearing is the formal opportunity for neighbors to comment and for the board to decide whether to vacate the alley.