STANFORD — The City of Stanford is looking to expand it’s borders to the north and south of current city limits.

City council members voted last week to continue moving forward with the potential annexation of two areas: land around U.S. 27 south of Stanford, and the Goshen Cut Off area, north of city limits.

While still in the preliminary stages, the council said it plans to approve an “intent to annex” once surveys of the U.S. 27 area are completed.

“It looks like we’ll gain approximately $12,800 dollars,” said Mayor Eddie Carter during last Thursday’s regular council meeting.

Carter said Fire Chief Scott Maples worked with Bluegrass Area Development to develop a study of the proposed annexation, which would expand city limits south on U.S. 27 to Lincoln County Ready Mix and Grace Fellowship Church.

“If you all want to move forward with going to that area, we will vote on it tonight and we’ll go out and I think the next step is to go to AGE (an engineering and design company) and go ahead and get a survey of the highway, and you’ve got to do the land, too. You’ve got two surveys,” Carter said.

The annexation would include 15 properties total, according to Maples. Of the total, 13 are commercial properties and two are residential. The two homeowners requested to be included. The Lincoln County Road Department, animal shelter and recycling center would also be taken into Stanford city limits.

Maples said the city will be required to make a one-time payment to the Lincoln County Fire Protection District to cover the loss in tax revenue before the city can begin to offer fire services to the area. Maples said he’ll have the estimated cost for that payment by the next discussion.

The surveys will also cost about $600, he added.

“Our main reason for annexing is the commercial aspect, not residential,” Maples said.

Council members voted unanimously to move forward with the necessary surveys.

Council eyes Goshen Cutoff area 

According to Maples, annexation of the Goshen Cutoff Road area, located off of U.S. 27 across from Walmart, would include 157 residential properties and two businesses, including the city sewer plant.

With sidewalks, sewer and fire hydrants already in place, the city wouldn’t have to invest those costs, he said.

“The only money the city would have to invest are streetlights on Goshen Cutoff, Jessica Way and Cassie Court,” Maples said. “It was built to be annexed and it just never was.”

Maples said LED streetlights would cost the city an estimated $300 per month.

“This is ball-park, I’ll have those figures before the next time you all look at that,” he said.

Most of the side streets were blacktopped last year, Maples said, so they’re in good shape.

“It’s a win-win for both, for the residents and for us (the city),” Maples added.

The council voted unanimously to authorize Maples to move forward with Bluegrass ADD to conduct a study of income and expenses for the city and benefits and savings for residents in the area.

Clarification: The existing sidewalks in the Goshen Cutoff area referred to by Fire Chief Scott Maples does not include the main road, Goshen Cutoff. There are no sidewalks on Goshen Cutoff Road.