Despite rumors to the contrary, Pevely officials are not planning a hostile takeover of their neighbors to the north and west.
What they are doing is planning for the future, including possible annexations, and are awaiting the results of a comprehensive study and 10-year plan they commissioned, which will look at a number of issues, including the feasibility of annexing land, City Administrator Andy Hixson said.
The study will look at the area between Hwy. 61-67 and the I-55 outer road from Pevely north to Arnold and west to the area near Villa Antonia, which is northeast of Hillsboro, Hixson said.
Pevely aldermen awarded a $115,500 contract to PGAV Planners in St. Louis Aug. 15, 2022, to create the new Comprehensive Plan and Annexation Growth Strategy, which is expected to be finished in November.
“We are at the beginning of planning,” said Andy Struckhoff, PGAV Planners president. “No decisions have been made.”
After that plan is presented to Mayor Stephanie Haas and the Board of Aldermen, then city officials would decide if they wanted to pursue projects or annexations, and any of those processes would take time, Hixson said.
Struckhoff stressed that if and when Pevely officials decided they wanted to try to annex other areas, the city must adhere to state regulations for involuntary annexations that would require a vote of those who live in the area proposed for annexation and a separate vote of those who live in Pevely. Voters in both areas must approve the proposed annexation before it can move forward.
“There is a process for annexation in Missouri State Statutes,” Struckhoff said.
In the case of a voluntary annexation in which a person or group of people who live in or own property asks a city to annex that land, the city’s governing body can approve it without a public vote.
Hixson said if Pevely officials proposed involuntary annexations, they likely would be pursued in phases over a 10-year period.
Struckhoff said once PGAV completes its study and plan, public input would be sought through online surveys, public workshops and public meetings before moving forward with projects or annexations.
“We’ll look at everything and see what makes sense,” Struckhoff said.
Hixson said cities should periodically update their comprehensive plans and Pevely has not done so since 2005.
“It’s like a business plan for the future,” Hixson said. “(In addition to annexation) the study looks at existing land uses and conditions. The information is used for future decisions.”
He said that once the city receives the comprehensive plan, if annexation is recommended, Pevely officials would still need to consider the cost of expanding services versus the tax revenue the area would generate.
Hixson said benefits to those in unincorporated areas that would be annexed by a municipality like Pevely include city services like snow removal, road repairs and police protection.
On the other hand, some people prefer to live in areas with fewer regulations, he said.
“Depending on how you view it, some people would enjoy a less regulated life,” Hixson said.
He said Pevely comprises about 5 square miles and has a population of about 7,400 people, and he estimated that the area being studied for possible annexation is about 10 square miles with a population of about 20,000.
Hixson said that area is being studied as part of a fact-finding process.
“You can always scale it back,” he said.
Changes to state law in 2018 allow cities, towns or villages to annex territory that is not bordering it if the property owners in between are offered annexation and refuse, but Hixson said he does not see Pevely pursuing those kinds of annexations because of difficulties in providing services to noncontiguous areas.
“We can ‘island’ annex,” Hixson said. “We don’t want to ‘island’ annex.”
He emphasized that any involuntary annexations would occur only after following steps outlined by state law, including elections, and would take place incrementally over time.
“It’s a plan covering at least 10 years,” Hixson said.