WESTMORELAND — An attorney has recommended that residents in the rapidly-growing Green Valley area of southwestern Pottawatomie County might be best served by forming an incorporated community.
At Monday’s meeting of the Pottawatomie County Commission, Jim Kaup, with Kaup Law Office of Topeka presented stage four of the Green Valley Governance Plan with recommendations on how to move forward. Kaup’s office specializes in land-use laws for Kansas municipalities.
The process of incorporating services to that area will continue in the next few weeks with plans and research being reviewed. Commissioners have noted that the county at-large would be unable to finance the area’s infrastructure needs after conversations with developers. Kaup cited a Wichita State University study predicting the population of Pottawatomie County to increase by 54 percent by the year 2044, with a bulk of that growth coming from the Green Valley and Blue Township areas. Currently about 4,000 residents live in that area.
Kaup says in addition to incorporating or annexing those areas, forming improvement districts, special districts or benefit districts could be another option for financing services and Blue Township governing those districts.
A town hall meeting is planned for 6 p.m. Feb. 5 in the Green Valley Community Center to discuss these recommendations. The public is invited to attend and share input.
