Tonganoxie City Council members have agreed to proceed with the purchase of 237 acres of land south of the city for nearly $1.38 million.

Council members Jim Truesdell and Steve Gumm were absent for the 3-0 vote. The land is in the running to be the future site of a Leavenworth County industrial park. The actual cost is $1,378,625.

“If the city were to purchase the land it would have an impact on our budget in the future,” Council member Jason Ward said. “But it’s a great opportunity for job creation. It’s really a balancing act.”

This section of land caught the eye of the Leavenworth County Port Authority’s land search committee along with parcels of land in Basehor, Lansing and Leavenworth.

The reason for the city to move on the land so quickly – even though the search committee won’t make its decision on the viability of the land until the next three to six months at the earliest – was because of the land option’s expiration date. The land is owned by the Audrey F. Irick Trust.