Jennifer Kern
Staff Writer

The room was filled with concerned locals and conversation was tense at the Forest Lake City Council meeting on Monday night, but no formal action was taken regarding a possible annexation of Columbus Township land to the city of Forest Lake.

Columbus Township landowner Gerald Schmieg presented a petition for annexation regarding land located off of I-35 in Anoka County.

On the petition, owners of 14 of the 24 properties that would be annexed signed in agreement of the proposal.

ìThis shows landowners are very interested in becoming part of Forest Lake,î Schmieg said.

Differing opinions

After lengthy discussion, varying opinions on the council resulted in delaying a decision on accepting or rejecting the petition.

Mayor Terry Smith and Councilmembers Dick Tschida and Susan Young were particularly vocal.

ìIím really concerned with the direction Columbus has gone,î mentioned Tschida regarding land use planning in the township. He is also a property owner on the disputed land and signed the petition in favor of the annexation.

Due to his conflict of interest as a landowner and councilmember though, Tschida noted he would have to abstain in a vote on the topic.

Also in favor of the petition, Smith viewed the annexation as an opportunity for the city to control land development on the east side of I-35, south of TH-97.

ìThis is the right thing to do for the city of Forest Lake,î commented Smith.

Young expressed doubts about adding land to the city. By annexing into Columbus Township, Forest Lake would be a part of Anoka County as well as Washington County. Young described it takes time to develop a relationship with a second county.

ìAdding another county...is another challenge to us,î she stressed.

Young noted she was also concerned the annexation would raise costs for the city through such changes as extending the police coverage area.

ìThere are some really significant costs to Forest Lake taking this on,î Young said.

Smith replied to her comment, stating tax dollars paid through the annexation would cover additional costs incurred by the city. He said having the freedom to entirely plan the development along the freeway would outweigh any current additional costs.

ìWe plan it in its entirety,î urged Smith.

The differing opinions extended into the crowd in attendance as well. Smith allowed few audience members to give their opinions on the issue, stating the topic was a council discussion.

This prompted one man to stand-up and declare ìWhen can we talk?î

More input needed

Ultimately, the council opted to hold off on making a decision. Councilwoman Judy Bull requested by the councilís next regular meeting that an open forum for the public be organized, city staff find more information on the annexationís potential impact to the city and all signatures be verified on the petition presented by Schmieg.

The city councilís next general meeting will be held on Aug. 22.

Top of Page

Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605