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Resident asks Neosho County to reopen and legalize segment of Tenth Road; commissioners outline survey, petition steps
Summary
A resident asked the county to investigate reopening and maintaining a segment of Tenth Road that was closed decades ago. County staff said the process would require surveys, a petition of adjacent landowners and likely legal and appraisal steps; commissioners said a timeline and cost estimate will be presented at the next meeting.
A Neosho County resident asked the Board of County Commissioners on May 6 to pursue reopening and maintaining a segment of Tenth Road west of Irving that was closed in 1973. Commissioners and staff described the legal and procedural steps the county would need before resuming maintenance.
Resident Peter Beatty told commissioners he wanted to know "what can needs to be done to keep maintaining the road" and whether it could be made legal to maintain. County staff advised that the county will likely need to resurvey the right-of-way and register deed records showing county right-of-way, and that a petition signed by adjacent landowners would be required to begin the reopening process. Staff said surveys typically have multi‑week lead times; an example in the discussion noted a survey request that was estimated at six weeks and took eight weeks to complete.
Staff and commissioners discussed potential additional costs, including appraisal and engineering fees, and noted that some landowners along the alignment have expressed conditions — for example, one landowner indicated reopening would be acceptable only if an existing fence were not moved. Commissioners said the county may also need to coordinate with the adjacent county because portions of the closed segment sit on or near the county line.
Timeline and next steps County staff said they would review available documents (including a petition from 2011 referenced by speakers), locate contact information for landowners listed on the petition, and provide a timeline and cost estimate to the board. Commissioners asked staff to report back at the next meeting (scheduled two weeks after May 6) with progress and to aim to have an answer on a timeline by the following meeting.
Why it matters Reopening a formerly closed county road can have long-term maintenance, legal and fiscal implications. Surveys, right-of-way registration, engineering work and potential right-of-way acquisition or appraisals can generate direct costs for the county and require agreement from adjacent landowners.
Ending Staff and commissioners agreed to pursue next steps: locate the prior petition, contact landowners, get a survey cost and timeline, and return to the board with a recommendation at an upcoming meeting.
