Excerpts from the September 21, 2010 City Commission meeting 
Jim Haines pulled from the consent agenda, the annexation (A-9-3-10) request of approximately 51.13 acres, located at the southwest corner of N 1800 Road (Farmers Turnpike) and E 1000 Road (Queens Extended), for separate discussion.  
He said he and his wife lived directly across the Farmer’s Turnpike and were significantly involved in the island annexation of the 155 acres, a mile west of his home and that annexation was still not completely resolved.  He said he was requesting that the City Commission not refer this annexation to the Planning Commission.  
He said when they went through the process of considering the earlier annexation, one of the objections that were raised by the neighborhood association that opposed that annexation was the piecemeal annexation was not a sound planning process.  He said they were told that the earlier annexation was not going to be part of a piecemeal annexation of additional land in that area into the City and the 155 acres that was in question, at that time, was an exceptional circumstance for many reasons and that they had no reason to believe that that would set a pattern for the future and now they were at step one of what appeared to be exactly, what he thought he believed were told, would not happen.  He said in his view, at a minimum, the discussion should be set for another evening so there was more adequate notice to the people who lived in that area and could be present for discussion of this annexation.  He said he hoped the City Commission would object to this, out of hand, as being an inappropriate approach to land planning.           
Marguerite Emerling said she would like to put in that same request that it not be forwarded on the Planning Commission at this time, for a couple of reasons and one was that land was platted as a rural subdivision and it got into a lot of area that was yet to even be understood and comprehended, including Kansas law pertaining to Rural Water District 6 and its entitlement to be compensated for land that was being removed from their territory into the municipal system and she was not aware there had been any conversation as to how that might be efficient, effective, and economical for this community or for the rural water district.  
In addition, if it was predicated on that sector plan, it had been acknowledged by both City and County to their legal representation that it was less than ideally handled.  It was to be a process through which there was a negotiation between municipal needs, property owners, and the general public.  The majority of property owners were never even entered or advised that this was happening, nor included in the discussion about forming that sector plan.
In addition, those that were presented were denied any representation by the City Planning Department, for their ideas and their ideas were struck down and never brought to the Commission’s attention.  She said that the entire thing happened in three months which was hardly effective for a proper sector plan discussion.
Mayor Amyx said that was absolutely wrong. 
Emerling said she would like to have the Mayor explain to the general public the sequence of events, the parties that were present, and in the newspaper.  Again, she said generally speaking, the sector plan had something to be resolved which was her belief and shared by others.  She said there was so much going on and knew that it had not come to a place where they could be working for something similar to make work.  She said they would like to have a different setting on this course, but it would not begin on the basis on entering into another piece of island annexation.  She said if there was any way to commit to discussions outside and apart, it would be something the entire area would be willing to do.      
Mayor Amyx said he believed that everything deserved its day in court and this was the opportunity to send this item to the Planning Commission for recommendation as to whether or not this property should be annexed. If anything was to change through that process the property owners in that area would have the opportunity to be a part of the process because that was how the process worked.              

Moved by Johnson, seconded by Chestnut to receive the annexation (A-9-3-10) request of approximately 51.13 acres, located at the southwest corner of North 1800 Road (Farmers Turnpike) and E 1000 Road (Queens Extended) and refer the item to the Planning Commission for recommendation.  Motion carried unanimously.