Nearly two years in the making, an annexation agreement involving a property just outside the city’s northeastern corporation limits is expected to be finalized by Urbana City Council during its 6 p.m. meeting today in municipal court chambers.

The ordinance seeking to accept the 1,419-acre property at 638 Childrens Home Road into the city is scheduled to be voted on after undergoing a third and final reading.

The lengthy process to annex the property into the city began in July 2015 when council agreed to provide sanitary sewer and water services to the property. In return, city ordinance required the property owner to initiate the annexation process.

In September 2016, following back-and-forth talks with officials from Urbana Township, council reached an annexation deal with the township trustees in which the city agreed, by ordinance, to pay a one-time payment of $1,084.92 to the township to help offset its loss in tax revenue generated from the property. The measure included that council would provide a statement of services to the property.

The annexation agreement was approved by the Champaign County Commission earlier this year.

Funding local projects

City administration is scheduled to seek council’s approval to spend additional dollars on two projects – the recently completed indoor restroom building project at Melvin Miller Park and the North Oakland Street Phase 2 Project, scheduled to start this week.

The administrative request involving the restroom facility, which opened recently, seeks council’s permission to pay the Howell Buildings Company $1,127.97 for additional costs associated with the project.

The North Oakland Street Phase 2 Project involves replacing curbs and gutters, sidewalk and catch basins along a portion of the street. The administration is asking to increase the purchase order for the project by $545.81. The original purchase order to Mark Finchum Excavating LLC previously was approved for $7,081.

In other business:

•Administration will recommend council sign off on a $30,000 purchase order to Hull & Associates for the 2017 semi-annual groundwater sampling at the closed municipal landfill.

•Council will hear the first reading of a resolution that would allow the city to participate in the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) annual winter road salt bid.

•A resolution authorizing preliminary approval between the city and ODOT for an asphalt overlay project involving a portion of state Route 29 will undergo a first reading.