Andover council approves annexation request, Southern Hills sewer work, engineering agreements, bridge project partnership, contract renewals and updated park-n

Andover City Council voted on a package of development, infrastructure and administrative items during the meeting. Major approvals included an annexation resolution seeking Butler County findings; steps to advance Southern Hills sanitary sewer through petition, ordinance and a bid award; engineering services for the Vista Ridge subdivision; a cost-sharing agreement with the Kansas Turnpike Authority for a Prairie Creek Road bridge; a multi-year renewal of the Flock camera contract; and an updated park-naming policy.

Votes at a glance

- Annexation petition (9947 Southwest Meadowlark Road): Council moved to adopt a resolution requesting Butler County make findings as required by KSA 12-5206(a)(3) regarding an island annexation. Motion passed 6–0.

- Southern Hills First Edition, amended petitions and developer agreement: Council accepted revised petitions for sanitary sewer improvements, approved an amended developer's agreement and adopted an amending resolution of advisability. Motion passed 6–0.

- Southern Hills First Edition amending ordinance (authorizing construction of internal improvements): Motion passed 6–0.

- Bid award, Southern Hills sanitary sewer: Council authorized award to Apex Excavating of Park City, Kansas, as the lowest qualified bidder, not to exceed $843,415; motion passed 6–0.

- Vista Ridge First Edition engineering agreement (MKEC): Council approved an agreement with MKEC Engineering for design and limited construction-phase services, not to exceed $135,409; motion passed 6–0.

- Prairie Creek Road bridge project agreement with Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA): Council approved an agreement with KTA for a project to replace the Prairie Creek bridge and to include a 10-foot bike/ped path. The cost split was estimated at 70% KTA / 30% City; motion passed 6–0.

- Flock Group contract renewal: Council approved a five-year extension of the Flock camera services agreement (negotiated to reduce short-term cost), with an estimated total of $140,000 over the agreement as discussed; motion passed 6–0.

- Park naming policy update: Council adopted a resolution repealing the prior park-naming policy and approved an updated policy aligned with the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board; motion passed 6–0.

Selected details and context

Annexation: Planning staff explained the annexation petition for 9947 Southwest Meadowlark Road is a repeat of an earlier annexation effort that must be reprocessed because the property is not adjacent to city limits and therefore is an island annexation. Staff said the resolution asks Butler County to make the statutorily required findings under K.S.A. 12-5206(a)(3) so the city can proceed with a future annexation ordinance.

Southern Hills: Staff said the developer’s petitions and petitions fees pre-dated a recent policy change and that the revised petitions and amending ordinances were presented without additional petition fees. After adopting the petitions and amending ordinance council awarded the sewer construction contract to Apex Excavating for a not-to-exceed $843,415.

Capital projects and agreements: The council approved the Vista Ridge engineering agreement with MKEC (not to exceed $135,409) and a partnership agreement with the Kansas Turnpike Authority for the Prairie Creek bridge replacement; staff said KTA is leading design and right-of-way work on a compressed timetable and that the cost-sharing split (about 70/30) reflects the estimated incremental cost of the requested 10-foot bike/ped path.

Contracts and policies: The council approved a five-year renewal with Flock Group for camera services; staff said negotiations reduced near-term cost and the five-year total discussed at the meeting was $140,000. Council also adopted an updated park-naming policy that aligns the process with the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board’s role and the city’s updated master plan.

Ending: Staff will carry the adopted actions into contracting and implementation. No litigation, financing contingencies or easement acquisitions beyond those described were finalized during the meeting; several items will require follow-up engineering, contract execution and possible interagency steps (for example, Butler County actions on the annexation request and KTA continuing design work).