Pat Tepoorten
Wyoming Township Reporter

Talks between Wyoming Township and the city of Wyoming took a more serious turn at last Tuesdayís regular meeting of the town board. Board Chair Roger Elmore asked for and received $5000 to be used for legal fees related to creating a proposal for the consolidation of the two entities.

The request inspired a great deal of board discussion as to the process and the amount of input residents will have in the ultimate decision.

Elmore described talks between the city and the township as being at a ìstalemate,î with both parties very much in agreement as to what is desirable, but without the legal expertise to construct a workable proposal to bring to residents.

ìWe need help with the process,î explained Elmore, who said that without legal assistance, township leadership would be unable to answer questions that arise from residents. The goal of hiring a law firm to ìguideî the two entities through the process is to insure that any proposal follows the law and addresses all of the various issues the situation may create, he said.

Supervisor Mark Utecht expressed concern the consolidation was moving forward before residents had a chance to have a voice in the process, to which Elmore responded that, without legal representation and a subsequent proposal based on the law, neither the city nor township would be in a position to answer questions or address concerns.

Elmore viewed the hiring of legal counsel to fashion a proposal as essentially the only way the combining of the two entities could move forward. ìThe only way to answer those questions is to be prepared,î he concluded.

Elmore also reassured the town board that, although legal representation would be brought on board to insure any proposal follows the letter of the law, it would be the township and city that would drive the terms of the proposal.

What is considered

According to Elmore, what is being considered at this point is a consolidation of the two separate entities into a charter city, which would allow for the governmental structure of the city of Wyoming to be maintained in its current form, but allow for taxing districts within the township portion of the charter city in an effort to separate existing city debt from current township taxpayers.

As city services are extended into areas of the township, those areas would then be absorbed into the city tax base.

A charter could also allow for township planning documents to become part of the cityís, and even allow for immediate ìtownshipî representation on the Wyoming City Council.

Elmore was quick to note these are just some of the possibilities, and should not be considered as decided upon at this point. Rather, they are merely examples of the latitude that is offered the two entities with the use of a charter. In other words, a charter allows the city and the township to fashion its own rules of consolidation.

Elmore assured the town board that, as the process moves forward, more representation from the township would be brought into the discussion. For instance, township zoning official Fred Weck has been tasked with guiding the planning commission through the creation of an accurate zoning map to assist with the creation of tax districts.

Elmore further assured the board ìthe appropriate people would be brought in at the appropriate places.î

Charter details

Some discussion was also had regarding how the adoption of a charter would be brought before township residents. It was not believed a charter must be brought before the voters, but could be voted in by the town board, but concerns regarding residents' desire to ìvote on their futureî were considered.

Presumably this will be an issue that is discussed at length once a proposal for consolidation is brought forward.

Stacy involvement

The board also received a letter from the city of Stacy requesting they be allowed to take part in the negotiations between the city of Wyoming and the township.

The board agreed that allowing Stacy to become involved would be counter-productive, and it is expected the city of Wyoming will follow suit.

In other township news, the board heard requests for funding from various non-profit organizations, such as the Chisago County Senior Center, the Youth Service Bureau, Community Partnerships of Youth and Family, Family Pathways, and New Pathways. No decisions were made as to the level of charitable giving that would be applied to next yearís budget or how it would be dispersed, but the board expects to make those decisions at their next regular meeting.

In other annexation news, a ìscheduling conferenceî has been called in regards to township resident Curtis Lendtís appeal of Administrative Law Judge Kathleen D. Sheehyís ruling in favor of Chisago City in the annexation decision, which placed roughly 5000 acres of township land into the city boundary. The meeting, on April 22nd at 1:30 p.m. at the Chisago County Government Center, will not include any testimony, but rather will set a schedule for hearing testimony.

Lendt, who was in attendance April 12, asked for the support of residents and the board in pursuit of his appeal.

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