Douglas County approves resolution to vacate unused Prairie City roads
December 11, 2025 | County Commission, Douglas County, Kansas
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The Board of Douglas County Commissioners voted 5–0 on Dec. 10 to approve Resolution No. 25-38 to vacate unused road rights of way within the historic Prairie City town site.
Kevin Sontag, Douglas County land surveyor, told the commission Prairie City was established in 1855 and largely abandoned by the 1880s. He said some road descriptions in the 1883 survey do not match the surviving maps, leaving a set of rights of way that have never been traveled or used for public travel in more than a century. "If the road has never been traveled or has not been traveled for close to a century, the road is meant to be vacated," Sontag said.
Sontag said a landowner on the north side of N 200 Road (identified in the meeting record as the Hay family) requested the vacation to simplify an estate survey and clarify title. He told commissioners vacating the recorded rights of way would not change current taxation or property lines because county tax parcels already include those areas.
The resolution directs county staff to vacate unused rights of way identified in the 1883 survey and the unused portion of the township road, clarifying which Prairie City roads remain active for public travel. Sontag said the county engineer reviewed the request and recommended approval, and he cited Kansas law that gives county commissions authority to vacate roads when appropriate.
No public comments were offered during the item. The chair moved approval of Resolution No. 25-38; the motion was seconded and the board approved it, recorded in the minutes as 'Passes 5 0.' The board received no additional conditions or amendments and the matter concluded with the formal vote.
Kevin Sontag, Douglas County land surveyor, told the commission Prairie City was established in 1855 and largely abandoned by the 1880s. He said some road descriptions in the 1883 survey do not match the surviving maps, leaving a set of rights of way that have never been traveled or used for public travel in more than a century. "If the road has never been traveled or has not been traveled for close to a century, the road is meant to be vacated," Sontag said.
Sontag said a landowner on the north side of N 200 Road (identified in the meeting record as the Hay family) requested the vacation to simplify an estate survey and clarify title. He told commissioners vacating the recorded rights of way would not change current taxation or property lines because county tax parcels already include those areas.
The resolution directs county staff to vacate unused rights of way identified in the 1883 survey and the unused portion of the township road, clarifying which Prairie City roads remain active for public travel. Sontag said the county engineer reviewed the request and recommended approval, and he cited Kansas law that gives county commissions authority to vacate roads when appropriate.
No public comments were offered during the item. The chair moved approval of Resolution No. 25-38; the motion was seconded and the board approved it, recorded in the minutes as 'Passes 5 0.' The board received no additional conditions or amendments and the matter concluded with the formal vote.
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