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Residents press Cortland leaders for tighter permitting, citing BrightSpeed gas-leak concerns
Summary
Residents urged the Cortland City Council to tighten permitting and enforcement after gas-leak incidents and repeated work by BrightSpeed contractors; councilors said a stop-work notice and new local legislation are being developed to set permitting benchmarks and cost-recovery rules.
Residents and councilors spent the largest portion of the meeting focused on recent fiber-optic installation activity by BrightSpeed and other contractors and what the city can require to protect residents. Jamie Groome, who identified themself as a resident at 428 Greenbrier Drive, thanked city staff for the emergency response but said the community is worried: “My largest concern, obviously, once we started having gas leaks…that’s a scary situation,” Groome said, noting examples from neighboring communities.
City staff and council described existing stop-work steps and next policy moves. The service department (voice 5) said BrightSpeed and its subcontractors “are not permitted to work in our city” while the voluntary two-week pause by Lumos remains in effect countywide; staff said the city has logged responses since March and will quantify labor and materials to pursue reimbursement where appropriate. Council leadership said they plan to draft local permitting and benchmarks so contractors must file plans and documentation before work begins. “We will be able to put something in place that’s gonna put benchmarks and stop points so that we can protect ourselves,” the council president (voice 2) said.
Residents asked practical enforcement questions — whether crews can be told to leave, whether arrests can occur, and how homeowners can report unauthorized work. Staff advised calling the police non-emergency dispatch so officers can respond; officers have already told crews to stop work on multiple occasions, the city said. Council and staff also urged residents who want broader regulatory change to contact the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and their state representatives, a path staff said could take longer but would tackle statewide oversight gaps.
The council said the Technical Review Committee, chaired by Councilwoman Chelsea Monroe, will take the lead drafting an ordinance to require permits, safety documentation and remediation plans from fiber installers. Staff also said the city will maintain and quantify a cost log of its responses so it can seek reimbursement when appropriate. The committee plans to meet repeatedly in coming weeks and bring proposed legislation back to council for consideration.
