We are working on dividing an estate in a small town where we haven't worked before. They have a pretty good Land Use Management code (350+ pages) for such a small town. I contacted city hall to get an application for subdivision approval. Most applications are several pages (some 20+ pages). At first I thought I had only received the cover page... This one is ONE page. Name of town at the top. Then a place for the applicant's info followed by "State your business with the P&Z board". The rest of the page is blank lines and a signature line at the bottom. Blessed simplicity!
Me. "What's the difference?"
T.C. Carroll "It's the difference between right and wrong!"
Scary. Isn't it?
The term "town" is used quite loosely in my neck of the woods. There may have been a plat recorded in the 1800's and a "once upon a time" record population of 300 people where two occupied households exist today. That's a small town. The incorporated city thing may or may not have ever happened. There was a post office but that went away 70 to 100 years ago.
Meanwhile, others in very different locations think of any city with a population under 300,000 is a small town. By that definition, the largest city in Kansas, Wichita at about 400.000 is the only non-small town in Kansas. Overland Park at about 200,000 must be a hamlet and Kansas City, Kansas at about 160.000 must be a village.
The "City" I grew up in has about the same population now as when I was a kid, about 4,500. The whole county has a population of 22,000 or so. I work 35 miles away where there are many times the people than where I live. I've gotten used to the pages and pages of paperwork and plats that contain more notes than drawing. I don't remember my home town ever being as small as this little town with a one page subdivision application. The P&Z board might be tough, as things that seem too easy rarely are. We shall soon see.
Me. "What's the difference?"
T.C. Carroll "It's the difference between right and wrong!"