Jessica Foster
Staff WriterChisago City struck a blow to Wyoming Township Tuesday, Nov. 25. In a unanimous decision, the Chisago City Council voted to file a petition with the Minnesota Department of Administration to move ahead with a contested case annexation of 11,103 acres of Wyoming Townshipís east side.
It amounts to more than half of the township in terms of land mass and about 75 percent of the households. It also affects the townshipís government. All of the townís elected officials live in the area on the block for annexation.
John Pechman is Chisago City administrator. Annexation, he said, was the cityís only option to move forward.
He pointed to failed plans for a joint business park, an unwillingness by the township to involve the city in Polaris negotiations and limited land for the city to grow.
ìAlthough we didnít want to do it this way, it was our only option,î he said. ìAll of the other resources were exhausted.î
Wyoming Township Chairman Larry Parker was the Nov. 25 meeting, though he said he was not invited. Parker was allowed to speak on behalf of the township.
Parker said he wants Wyoming Township to remain his home and is against annexation.
ìThe township will probably end up fighting it through the courts,î Parker said. ìIím sure weíre going to proceed along the lines of fighting it.î
The chairman questioned the legality of annexing half of the township and said he had a call in to the township attorney, Tom Fitzpatrick.
Chisago County has been working to expand its business base and has enjoyed recent success via Andersen Windowsí move to the city of North Branch and Polarisí decision to build a research and development facility on a 600 acre plat in Wyoming Township which was annexed to the city of Wyoming to bring the deal through.
Montzka worried
Chisago County Commissioner Ben Montzka said the decision by Chisago City may not help business in the countyóbut hurt it.
Montzka worried the fight may incite Polaris to get out of the deal to locate in Wyoming and move east to Wisconsin.
ìI am disappointed. I am surprised this is happening at this point. I think there is the potential Polaris would not be able to develop at the current site,î Montzka said.
A resident of Wyoming Township, Montzka said many residents prefer the township way of life.
ìI think cities donít understand the way township people like their government,î he said. ìIt is a pure form of democracy and that is attractive to a lot of people who live in a township.î
As a county commissioner, Montzka said he and his colleagues on the board will discuss the decision at the Dec. 17 meeting of the county board.
ìI expect an action encouraging them (Chisago City) to really think this through,î Montzka said. ìAt this point, I am worried about the consequencesóif we lost the biggest economic development project in the state right now. As a county, weíre going to make sure Polaris is still coming.î
Chris Eng is executive director of the Chisago County Economic Development Authority/Housing and Redevelopment Authority. He was instrumental in luring Polaris to Wyoming. It is his job to attract businesses to communities throughout Chisago County.
While he questioned the motivation and reasoning of Chisago Cityís push for annexation, Eng said the business is not at risk.
ìI donít see it having an impact on Polaris,î he said. ìBut I just donít see what theyíre gaining.î
Chisagoís view
But Chisago City, Pechman said, needs land to attract such businesses.
ìWeíve been talking about growth for a long time. We have trouble attracting businesses. I have a list of 10 businesses that have contacted us. They find out we donít have the land available and thatís the end of the conversation,î Pechman said.
Chris DuBose is mayor of Chisago City. Land, he said, was the main motivation to annex.
ìWeíve been trying for quite a while to provide property for business,î he said. ìA lot of people want more land than we can provide.î
DuBose said Chisago City is becoming a bedroom community. A business base, he said, is needed to provide jobs, generate tax dollars and extend sewer service around Green Lake.
ìThe group on the (Wyoming) Town Board doesnít want to do anything with us and thatís kind of disappointing,î he said.
Some may question the great amount of land Chisago City is seeking to acquire. But it is a matter of efficiency, according to DuBose as they would rather fight the battle once than go after the township piece by piece.
ìThis is going to be a very hotly contested case. Letís just get it over with,î DuBose said.
The mayor said he expects victory. And the township, he said, is an urban one.
ìThey want to be a city without being called a city,î he said. ìWeíve got way too much government. I think itís good to combine things up.î
While Chisago City may need the business, that is not the townshipís dilemma, Parker said.
ìThe township is fiscally responsible. Weíre not rolling in money but weíre not hurting. Weíre prudent. All of the sudden weíre going to be annexed into an area thatís hurting,î Parker said. ìThere is too much at stake here. Why should this township bail them out of a problem?î
Land plans
According to DuBose, annexation has been in the plans for the last eight years. This was coming, he said, regardless of Polaris or Wyoming sending its sewage to Chisago City.
ìWeíd do it even if they werenít going to put the pipe to Chisago City. We would do this regardless of what Polaris is doing,î he said.
Plans for the land include a business park, cluster housing, a water theme park and other businesses.
Process
Contested-Case Annexation is one of the three most common forms of annexation, yet the most controversial.
One to two months after filing the petition, the Department of Administration will schedule a hearing and continue indefinitely during which time the city and township may meet. The city and township will present their cases to a mediator who will make a decision based on the evidence.
The decision would then go before an administrative law judge if an agreement cannot be reached. Appeals could follow.
The Wyoming Town Board next meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9. Parker said he was unsure if a special meeting would be called in the township.
Annexation can be an expensive endeavor. The Forest Lake Township annexation to the city and subsequent appeals ran up about $500,000 in legal costs for the city and township combined.
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