Perry City approves boundary adjustment with Willard City, authorizes mayor to finalize trail-edge line

Perry City Council on Feb. 12 approved an ordinance adjusting a common boundary with neighboring Willard City after extended discussion about the map, affected property owners and infrastructure responsibilities.

Staff explained the change stemmed from a developer-initiated plat. The revised proposal removes one corner owned by the Barker family after Willard's public comments and leaves other properties moving to Perry to access utilities and future development. Mr. Barnhill said Willard indicated the revised corner carve-out made their approval more likely.

Council members debated whether to move the boundary to the back of the trail/right-of-way (as Perry staff preferred) or to the middle of the road (as Willard's draft had shown). They also discussed the practical implications of sharing or assigning road ownership and underground infrastructure. Councilmember Walker said practical maintenance access matters more than symbolic ownership; others emphasized respecting landowner preferences so the plat could move forward at Willard.

The council approved a motion to adopt the ordinance with language clarifying the west edge of the trail/right-of-way as the likely line and authorized the mayor to negotiate that precise location and an interlocal maintenance agreement to protect the city's utilities. Council and staff said the interlocal should clarify access and repair responsibilities should either city need to work on the shared roadway or buried infrastructure.

The ordinance passed by roll call; staff said they would follow up with Willard City staff and the developer to finalize plat language and pursue an interlocal agreement to document maintenance and access arrangements.