Title 1 - General Provisions

Legal Basis for Overland Park, Kansas

The City was incorporated May 20, 1960, as a result of a referendum held on May 17, 1960. The authority for the election and incorporation is found in Chapter 413, Laws of Kansas 1959. This law related to urban class townships, authorized their dissolution, provided for the attachment of part of their territory to existing cities and included the remainder in a city of the first class to be created. This law was later designated as K.S.A. 80-2309 through 80-2323 and was repealed by Chapter 509, Section 12, Laws of Kansas 1963.

The 1959 law designated that the new city created would have the mayor and council form of government, with the councilmen being elected from not less than four contiguous and compact wards (K.S.A. 13-205). The 1959 law also provided, "All ordinances of the urban township in effect at the time of the incorporation of the new city and proper to have been passed by a city of the first class shall continue in effect in the new city until amended or repealed by the governing body of the city."

On November 6, 1962, by special election, the city adopted the provisions of the mayor-council-manager plan now found in K.S.A. 12-1036a through 12-1036h. Thereafter, a number of the provisions of this law were changed by various charter ordinances passed by the city under authority of Article 12, Section 5 of the Kansas Constitution. For the various changes, see the charter ordinances listed in the back.

Effective on: 1/1/1901