In a move coming shortly after a judge had approved an expedited schedule for a pending Sunshine Law violation lawsuit against the city, Platte City has pulled its aggressive annexation proposal off the November ballot. The vote to pull the two annexation questions was unanimous by the six member Platte City Board of Aldermen at a meeting Tuesday night. News of the impending decision by the city to drop its annexation effort was first reported by The Landmark on its web site last Friday afternoon. In a news release issued after Tuesday night’s meeting, the city says the decision to drop annexation was done “in an effort to avoid costly litigation.” The Landmark has confirmed a settlement is in the works between the city and Harold Coons, a Platte City resident who brought legal action against the city for allegedly violating the state’s open meetings law when it held a special June 7 meeting to pass the first reading of the annexation ordinances.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources says the City of Tracy has been given preliminary approval to receive a $75,000 grant from the state. The grant money will be used to fund a water conversion project in Tracy that will enable about 100 Tracy households to switch from rural water to Platte City water.
The Platte City branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library is moving from 412 Main street to a much larger, brand new branch building immediately east of the Platte County Community Center North.