By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission approved five resolutions Monday that allows the city of Hays to move forward with the annexation of five properties north of Interstate 70 for the construction of a travel plaza.
Annexations of properties in the county that are not contiguous to the city must be approved by the county commission. The property owned by the city in this case is considered contiguous.
City of Hays Public Works Director Jesse Rohr told the county commission Monday that, other than the Hess development and the city of Hays property, the annexation of the other properties are needed for infrastructure.
“The portions being annexed are adjacent to rights of way only, so it might be up to 50 foot of rights of way where the street will go,” Rohr said. “The buildings, the infrastructure for the Celebration Church and the Doonan facility are not being annexed.”
Rohr said they have signed consent forms from all the parties involved.
The annexation will allow for the connection of city services, including water and sewer, to the nearly 35-acre property owned by Hess Land LLC.
The other properties will continue with the current services but will have the option to obtain city services in the future, according to Rohr.
“We could very well see future annexations up here,” Rohr said. “Once those utilities are on the north side of I-70, it gets it that much closer to those properties and (it’s) much more achievable for many of them.”
The Hays City Commission unanimously approved the resolutions at its meeting Nov. 26, sending it to the county commission. The issue will go back before the city commission for final approval on Dec. 12.
The commission also asked KDOT to transfer a $1.5 million grant that was awarded to Ellis County in 2013 to the city of Hays for improvements to the intersection at 230th Avenue and 55th Street. The intersection was part of the annexation approved by the commission.
In other business, the commission:
- Approved a resolution setting salaries for elected officials and department heads in 2020
- Accepted a grant from the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council
- Approved the solid waste management plan
- Continued a discussion on establishing fees through the appraiser’s office, but delayed action until later this month.