The legal showdown over which city controls contested land west of Excelsior Springs is advancing to trial after a Clay County judge ordered a three-day bench proceeding.The case centers on competing annexation measures approved by voters in Excelsior Springs and Mosby in November 2025 that seek to incorporate overlapping portions of unincorporated Clay County land west of the city limits, primarily along Cameron Road and Rhodus Road. Excelsior Springs’ proposal includes more than 50 parcels and adjacent roadway rights of way in the west-side growth corridor, while Mosby’s measure covers four parcels within the same area. Because both cities claim portions of the same territory and Missouri law requires judicial approval before annexations take effect, the disputed land has remained under county jurisdiction while a court determines which city, if any, holds prior authority to proceed.Attorneys for the parties recently appeared before Seventh Judicial Circuit Court...