February 16, 2006 at 5:51 a.m.
Stacy Council works to build relationships with neighbors
Stacy Council works to build relationships with neighbors
At a Feb. 7 special meeting, the council approved the hiring of Tautges Redpath to complete financial analysis and a planner to address city planning issues surrounding the city’s proposal to annex 777 acres of Wyoming Township.
It also approved work being done by City Engineer Chuck Schwartz to complete information required by the Municipal Office of Boundary Adjustments, the department reviewing the orderly annexation request.
After the two Wyoming entities filed a resolution to orderly annex the township into the city in January, Stacy and Chisago City followed with objections to the annexation, stating they did not have an opportunity to be involved in the process.
Stacy is looking at annexing 777 acres of the north central portion of Wyoming Township, namely those areas contained within sections 5 and a small portion of 8, along CR 30 and I-35.
Chisago City is looking at a larger chunk of the township, 3,300 acres, along the eastern edge that borders the city.
City Attorney Peter Grundhoefer informed the council that a preliminary jurisdictional hearing date has been set on the case. It will be held Thursday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. at the Chisago County Government Center.
Grundhoefer said no one from the council is required to be at the hearing, which will most likely just be a starting point for opening the case. City Clerk Sharon Payne said she received a summons to be present at the hearing, so she will attend.
Council member John Daher said he has been in contact with Wyoming Town Board Chair Roger Elmore about the annexation.
“They aren’t ready to sit down and talk at this point because they’ve appealed the state’s decision, but the door is left open,” Daher said.
Daher said he told Elmore that the council has spoken to many of the residents within the area Stacy is interested in annexing. The majority would like to be a part of Stacy, Daher said.
Grundhoefer said one of the city’s first priorities should be to set up a meeting with the city planner.
The original estimate of costs associated with the annexation hearings was around $50,000. Grundhoefer said that original estimate is probably too low and it could be more like $65,000. “It all depends on how much court time and how long the process takes,” he said.
The council also discussed other land issues, specifically ongoing meetings with Lent Township on various land use topics.
The latest meeting was held Jan. 30. Talk centered around land that Stacy is wishing to acquire in sections 30, 31 and 32.
Daher expressed frustration that all of the council’s joint meetings with the township seem to be mostly answering questions from the residents and no discussion between the two entities.
“I’m totally understanding that people come to the meetings and want their questions answered and I’m all in favor of answering those questions,” Daher said. “I’d just like to see some time devoted to having the two entities enter into discussion as well.”
Council member and acting mayor John Walz agreed, saying it would be more productive if time could be devoted at these meeting to the two entities negotiating.
“I’d like to meet and get something in place that protects the area we’re interested in – for both sides,” Walz said.
Daher said there are options regarding the Lent Township land that the city is interested in, including contested annexation.
“I’m not interested in going down that road,” Daher said. “We could do it, but would we really benefit from that?...it would drive such a wedge between the township and the city that we’d never get anything done.”
Council member Barb Otterson said she never considered a contested annexation of portions of Lent Township. “No matter how many times we say it, though, they still don’t believe it,” she said.
Walz disagreed, saying his opinion was to consider contested annexation, but now he is willing to take it “off the table” in talks with Lent.
A township representative at the meeting said he was pleased to hear that the council wasn’t willing to consider annexation at the present time.
Daher said he favored another option, which is for the city to come up with another proposal and present it to Lent Township. In talking with the Town Board, he said they don’t want to have another meeting with Stacy until after the township election and annual meeting in March.
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