The same day that the Prairie Village City Council moved forward with financing for its $30 million municipal complex project, a city resident appealed a federal court’s Nov. 3 decision to dismiss his lawsuit trying to stop the project.
On Monday, the city council voted 11-0 to approve three items that pushed the public financing for its $30 million municipal complex project forward, including issuing bonds.
That same day, Fritz Edmunds, the attorney representing Prairie Village resident Marc Vianello, filed a notice of appeal in federal court regarding that court’s decision last month to dismiss the lawsuit for lack of standing. Edmunds did not respond to the Post’s request for comment for this story.
Vianello filed the federal lawsuit in mid-July, seeking to block the city from taking out debt for the project without first bringing it to a public vote.
(The municipal complex project became a centerpiece of the city’s 2025 election, with six candidates who backed it winning their respective races. Read more about our coverage of those races here and here.)
City Administrator Wes Jordan told the Post in an emailed statement on Wednesday that the notice of appeal is under staff review with both legal and bond counsel. The city plans to defend the appeal, he said.
“As Judge Robinson ruled last month, Mr. Vianello lacks legal standing, and the facts of the case have not changed since her ruling,” Jordan said. “Prairie Village has followed the same transparent and legal process that Kansas cities have used for decades to invest in critical infrastructure.”
Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson told the Post in a Wednesday morning text that the city is working with its bond counsel and financial adviser on what kind of impact Vianello’s appeal has on the issuance of bonds.
“Our intent is to move this project forward as soon as possible in accordance with the decisive will expressed by Prairie Village voters and Council,” Mikkelson said.
The city council pushed funding forward on Monday
In three separate 11-0 votes on Monday, the city council approved moving forward with the municipal complex project’s $30 million financing plan. Councilmember Lori Sharp was absent.
While two of those votes authorized the city to issue up to $28 million in general obligation improvement bonds for the project, the city anticipates issuing less than $27 million in bonds, with plans to use cash already on hand to cover the remaining project costs.
The third vote allows the city to move $955,000 from the city’s bond interest fund to the capital improvement program fund.
Finance Director Jason Hannaman told the city council that this allows the funding to be used as additional cash toward this project to decrease the amount of bonds issued.
That $955,000 the city council approved transferring from one fund to another was already earmarked for bond debt repayment related to the municipal complex project, according to city documents.
Vianello’s appeal is for the federal case
Vianello originally filed a lawsuit in Johnson County District Court to block the project from moving forward without a public vote on the sale of bonds for the expenditure.
In July, he withdrew that district court case and immediately refiled in federal court, citing federal questions that gave the U.S. district court jurisdiction.
Mikkelson told the Post on Wednesday that the city council’s actions on Monday are in alignment with the results of the 2025 city council election, in that voters want the city to move forward with the municipal complex project.
“Prairie Villagers are fed up with failed frivolous political litigation by a disgruntled few wasting taxpayer dollars,” Mikkelson said. “We look forward to another swift and complete victory, and in the meantime will be moving on with the city’s critical infrastructure and public safety needs.”
In case you missed it: The $30M project
The $30 million municipal complex project is years in the making for Prairie Village.
Through years of studies and city council discussions, and a need to upgrade aging and overcrowded facilities, the city landed on the following project:
- A $23 million new city hall on the site of the Mission Road Bible Church, 7820 Mission Road. The city’s $4.5 million purchase of the church property is included in that $23 million.
- A $7 million renovated police department and municipal court at the existing facilities, 7700 Mission Road.
Keep reading crimes and court news: Fed indictment says OP men bilked investors of $4M to buy luxury cars and vacations
