Kehoe signs provisional bill for annexations, allows Rosecrans to be brought into City boundaries

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KQTV) -- Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed House Bill 2818 into law recently. The bill would allow Rosecrans Memorial Airport to be properly annexed into the City of St. Joseph.

The act specifies that Rosecrans can be annexed into the city regardless of whether the boundaries of the airport are contiguous and compact with the existing city boundaries.

The Bill, sponsored by Senator Rusty Black (R-District 12) and handled by Representative Brenda Shields (R-St. Joseph), also modifies provisions for other counties in Missouri.

"Any city, town or village in St. Charles County, the term 'contiguous and compact' shall include a situation whereby the unincorporated area proposed to be annexed is contiguous to the annexing city, town or village by at least 18% of the length of the perimeter of the area proposed for annexation."

Additionally, "any city, town or village in Jefferson County, the term 'contiguous and compact' shall include a situation whereby the unincorporated area proposed to be annexed is contiguous to the annexing city, town, or village by at least 25% of the length of the perimeter of the area proposed for annexation.

No such city, town, or village shall annex an unincorporated area contiguous to any unincorporated area annexed by the city, town or village within the last 24 months."

The act repeals a current provision, where property owners within an unincorporated area can petition a contiguous and compact city, town or village within certain counties to annex the unincorporated area.