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An agreement being drafted which allows for the Xccent industrial property to be annexed to the city of Wyoming came before Wyoming Township supervisors last week, generating the major discussion of the night.

Xccent, now in Wisconsin, wants to build a new manufacturing plant on a parcel near the freeway, west of Heim's Lake, that's now township territory. The agreement will allow for annexation into the City of Wyoming and still give the township a say in the development and the ability to follow-through on concerns expressed by neighbors-- who are township citizens.

Township Supervisor Mark Utecht stressed the need for the township to continue to have some oversight to "avoid the inevitable minefield" of neighborhood opposition, should earlier concerns identified by neighbors not be protected.

Wyoming Township Attorney David Snyder said he will make sure the agreement allows for continued consideration of items the township has identified, such as 250th Street traffic, screening and new road access.

Snyder also will make sure costs are shared and encumbered only after the city and township have agreed on the expense. "To the extent work is needed beforehand (before the site is annexed into the city)," Snyder said expenses, ie: design, engineering, public hearings, these will be approved ahead.

Township Supervisor Pat Fandel expressed opposition to the map included in the agreement. (See graphic.)

Fandel said talk all along has been only about the Xccent parcel and suddenly the agreement refers to nine parcels. Fandel was upset that there'd been no township board vote or discussion on expanding this requested annexation.

Township Board Chair Roger Elmore said this is just a proposal and "nothing is final" about this agreement yet. Of expanding the request Elmore added, "...we had to ask, how do we know we can even do this if we don't ask for it?"

Sup. Fandel said the process was backwards and he's growing weary of township supervisors being asked to approve proposals "after the fact."

Sup. Jerry Owens also noted he wasn't completely happy about the unauthorized expanded annexation request; but he also understood "why it is the way it is."

Sup. Ron Swenson noted that all affected property owners need to be made aware of impacts on their parcels, especially re-zoning that will be tied to an approved annexation.

Attorney Snyder explained that while state boundary regulations have determined the township will dissolve in June, and construction probably won't start on Xccent at least until after that, the agreement paves the way for the preliminary processes to begin.

The supervisors then directed Snyder to fine tune the agreement and bring it to an upcoming township board meeting to be approved, with all the conditions and concerns expressed last week.

Sup. Owens said Snyder should make sure the city of Wyoming knows "the township went through a firestorm" when this Xccent project first came in for review.

In a related matter: the contested area of the orderly annexation of the township into Wyoming is being amended by Chisago City. A request was submitted to the Administrative Law Judge who is hearing the contested case beginning in March.

Wyoming Township was notified the White Tail Ridge neighborhood and parcels over to the Carlos Avery and Stacy future city border are sought by Chisago City. This would be the west half of Section 3 and all of Section 4. The Chisago City request originally had the east half of Sect. 3.

Township supervisors were concerned because they felt this could "land lock" the future consolidated Wyoming. (The future city would not abut County Road #36.)

Township Planning Commission member Frank Storm has been distributing petitions to that area now sought-- asking property owners to express their preference as to being in Wyoming or in Chisago City. He said he is mailing the papers under boundary adjustment guidelines and he'd report back on the response.

This information will be used as part of the township's annexation case documentation when the hearings get underway in March.

Checking with Chisago City Administrator John Pechman after the meeting the Press was told the amendment was sought because Chisago City has a lift station and sewer capacity in that area already, installed for Hidden Acres.

Pechman said that Wyoming Police wouldn't be able to get to this area without traveling on streets in Chisago City or Stacy. The area is in the Chisago City fire service district already, he added.

The township treasurer's report was on last week's agenda but is delayed until the next township meeting.

The Indian Trail and Fawn Trail projects should be ready to present next meeting, the engineer advised.

The garage furnace expenditure was also tabled for more information.

Township staff reported the town is aware that Carriage Pass, Liberty Ponds and Birch Lake housing developments have outstanding items to complete before they'll be accepted by the town. Birch Lake and Liberty Ponds are also reportedly delinquent on half or all of 2007 taxes.

Fred Weck, town building official, said he gave the projects' developers their required time to finish work, and now he'll send developers a "punch list" specifying work to be completed. There's 90 days allowed for a response before the town would reconsider these projects' status.

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