Holts Summit may annex roads

From left, Callaway County Eastern District Commissioner Randy Kleindienst, Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann and Western District Commissioner Roger Fischer met with road and bridge head Paul Winkelmann to discuss the annexation of part of two county roads near Holts Summit.
From left, Callaway County Eastern District Commissioner Randy Kleindienst, Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann and Western District Commissioner Roger Fischer met with road and bridge head Paul Winkelmann to discuss the annexation of part of two county roads near Holts Summit.

Holts Summit may soon annex a 1.65-mile stretch of two roads, including County Road 4036 and part of County Road 4039, Callaway County commissioners said during a Tuesday meeting.

The county will pay an undetermined amount to Holts Summit to offset maintenance costs.

"They want to bury a forced sewer main in the middle of the road, and they'll have to annex it because we don't want to do the maintenance," said Paul Winkelmann, head of Callaway's road and bridge department.

Eastern District Commissioner Randy Kleindienst explained burying a forced main directly under the road will likely disrupt the road's surface and cause maintenance issues.

The forced main is slated to affect eight-tenths of a mile of road, but Holts Summit also offered to annex the additional length of road from the county.

"They would be willing to take on the rest to maintain, but they'd like compensation," Western District Commissioner Roger Fischer said.

"They wouldn't need the lower area for the project, but they're expressing interest in annexing more in the future," Winkelmann said. "Holts Summit is growing."

Fischer, who met with Holts Summit representatives to discuss the annexation, called it a win-win situation.

"They'll take maintenance of that forever," Fischer said.

Normal maintenance can cost the county $4,000-5,000 per year, per mile, Winkelmann said. Chip sealing a road, which Holts Summit will likely have to do after installing the main, can cost approximately $20,000 per mile.

The commissioners decided to offer $17,500 to Holts Summit to defray those costs, given the city will have to pay for any subsequent maintenance. That money will likely be drawn from the contingency fund, Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann said, and will be paid over one or two years.

Now, it's up to Holts Summit to accept the offer or issue a counter-proposal, Fischer said.

Jungermann said the city will own the road, but adjacent properties will not be automatically annexed along with it.