BELLAIRE — The village of Bellaire is organizing a meeting to help residents negotiate favorable leases of their mineral rights.

During the Bellaire Village Council meeting held May 15, members voted unanimously to work with the Utica Landowners Group LLC to negotiate a favorable oil and gas lease for the village.

For several months before the meeting, the village had been involved in discussions with a potential producer to lease the oil and gas under village property after village leaders learned that a company intends to horizontally drill under portions of the community.

The primary reason for wanting to work with the Utica Landowners Group is that a number of the village’s property owners are also being approached to sign leases — but at substantially less favorable terms than what the village has been offered.

Bellaire Village Council wants to ensure its property owners will receive the same favorable lease terms that the village will receive.

Last year, the village of Shadyside and its property owners were confronted with the same type of situation. Utica Landowners Group assisted the village of Shadyside and its property owners to obtain oil and gas leases that contained more favorable terms than those presently being offered to Bellaire’s property owners.

To help its property owners, the village is sponsoring a meeting on at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Bellaire High School gymnasium at which time representatives of the Utica Landowners Group will assist the property owners with obtaining substantially better leases than what they are presently being offered.

The village urges property owners who have been approached and their neighbors, if they are also property owners, to attend the meeting.