In response to Andover Mayor Ben Lawrence’s veto last week concerning the special use permit for Butler Community College’s building project, the Andover City Council voted Tuesday night to sent the request back to the Planning Commission.
Butler Community College and its leaders have been fielding questions about funding and spending since early this year when Kansas Representative Kristey Williams began waging a campaign to slash BCC’s mill levy. Butler had plans for renovation and construction at the 5000 Building on E. 13th Street in Andover, but following pressure and questioning from Williams and a veto from Andover Mayor Ben Lawrence concerning a special use permit that would have allowed the construction project at the Andover campus to move forward.
Since 1992, Butler has leased the north wing of Andover High School for Student Services offices and numerous classrooms. With the Andover School District bond issue and the construction of new facilities at Andover High School, the north wing of the building will be demolished by the summer of 2020, thus creating the need for Butler to relocate its current operations. College leaders have said that BCC is not expanding; the school is simply consolidating buildings.
“This is a planned expenditure from our reserves, with no additional money needed from taxpayers,” said Kent Williams, CPA, vice president of finance stated last August.
At the same time Butler President Kim Krull stated, “We will not raise the mill levy for the Andover consolidation.For the past two years, we’ve set aside funds to be used for this purpose.”
(Read more: Augusta Gazette)