LUCKEY — The village of Luckey in Wood County could be on the hook for roughly $200,000 in legal fees after backing away from a controversial plan to seize a privately owned quarry using eminent domain and then losing the resulting court fight.
Village leaders had moved to take over the quarry property for municipal use, but when the village abandoned the seizure plan, the property owner’s side went to court seeking reimbursement of its legal costs. The loss leaves the small village facing a bill that could dwarf its usual operating margins — a heavy price for a community of Luckey’s size.
Eminent domain battles are rare in northwest Ohio’s smaller villages, and the outcome has raised eyebrows among residents who watched the quarry dispute unfold. The village has not yet said how it plans to pay the judgment or whether it will appeal the fee award.
For now, the quarry stays in private hands, and Luckey is left to work through the financial fallout of a legal fight it chose not to finish.
