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Council advances utility, franchise and transport steps while residents press data‑center concerns
Summary
On June 25 the Osawatomie City Council approved procedural steps to let Evergy seek service‑territory changes, authorized franchise negotiations, filed a revenue‑neutral notice for next year’s budget and accepted a Transportation Alternatives bid; public comment focused on the proposed Project Catalyst data center.
The Osawatomie City Council on June 25 voted on several procedural items while a sustained public comment period concentrated on a proposed 283‑acre data‑center project.
Key council actions at a glance: The council approved a resolution authorizing staff to seek a service‑territory transfer for three parcels, allowing Evergy to petition the Kansas Corporation Commission to assume service (Resolution 1381). The council also authorized staff to negotiate a new electric franchise with Evergy (Resolution 1382), directing the city attorney and manager to begin talks; the staff‑recommended target discussed in the meeting was a 5% franchise fee. For budget planning, the council authorized sending the required revenue‑neutral‑rate notice to the county clerk for the 2027 budget schedule (Resolution 1384). Separately, the council accepted the apparent low bid for a KDOT Transportation Alternatives project (John Brown Loop / South Levy Loop), committed the city matching funds and authorized city signatures to finalize award paperwork (Resolution 1385).
Outcomes: All motions recorded in the meeting were seconded and carried; the transcript records the motions as approved. Precise roll‑call tallies were not read into the record during the discussion; final contract and franchise terms will return to the council for approval where required.
Why it matters: Those procedural approvals clear administrative and scheduling pathways that are prerequisites for infrastructure work and for permitting steps tied to the Project Catalyst proposal. Developers said infrastructure upgrades, including transmission work required by Evergy, would be funded by the project; council action on the utility steps allows that process to proceed through the KCC and franchise negotiation phases.
Next steps for council business: Staff will file the revenue‑neutral notice with the county by July 20; the public works director and mayor were authorized to sign KDOT award documents to secure the TA contract; franchise negotiations and the KCC service‑territory petition will continue as separate processes that require additional council approvals and regulatory decisions.
The council will consider the detailed site‑plan and rezoning applications, and any development agreements and enforceable conditions, once formal applications and consultant studies are submitted.
