Pat Tepoorten
Wyoming Township Reporter

To open last Tuesdayís regular meeting of the Wyoming Township Board, Chairman Roger Elmore announced that township staff had completed the job of providing consolidation legal advisor Rinke Noonan with the requested list of township related documents, including ordinances, the comprehensive plan, zoning maps, township services and utilities.

It is expected that the city of Wyoming would complete the same phase of consolidation preparation this week.

Once those documents are collected and studied by Rinke Noonan, a work group will be established and it will be determined if additional consultants will be required to move forward with the agreement.

This ìfirst phase,î has been allotted 30 days for completion, but as Elmore noted, both the city and the township are ahead of schedule.

ìWeíre looking good,î he said.

The next phase of the process will involve drafting the actual consolidation plan, including an outline for a single unit of government, the determination of tax and service rates, and the combining of both land use controls and government services.

This second phase is expected to take from three to four months to complete.

Finally, the last phase of the plan will include the creation of a joint resolution and orderly annexation agreement, which will be presented to both the township and the city for approval.

It is expected that the agreement will come before the residents of both entities at this time as well, in some form of public forum, be it jointly or separately.

If both the city and the township agree at that time to move forward with the consolidation, the transition to a single unit of government will be formalized.

With 30 to 60 days set aside to complete this final phase of the consolidation, if both entities proceed on schedule and indeed agree to the terms, the consolidation of the city of Wyoming and Wyoming Township could be complete by yearís end.

Budget, tax update

In other news June 28, Town Clerk Norma Olson announced she had spoken extensively with the Chisago County Auditor regarding the remaining township tax base, that left in the wake of the Chisago City annexation, and has determined some benchmarks for the 2006 budget.

Because the township retained its business district, it has been learned the township lost roughly one-quarter of its taxable market value, not one-third as had been previously suggested. In real numbers, the township went from a tax capacity of just under $4.6 million to roughly $3.4 million.

With that in mind, and using a 20 percent tax rate as a goal, which is a rough average of the tax rates of the township over the last four years, Olson explained to the board the township could levy up to $794,000 without significantly affecting tax rates for township residents.

This levy amount does not appear significantly less than previous years.

For instance, the 2005 budget was roughly $900,000, but included the funds necessary to retain legal council regarding the Chisago City annexation matter.

In 2004, the township levied roughly $800,000.

Likewise, the tax rates for prior budgets reflect fluctuations consistent with the 2006 goals set forth by Olson, from a high of 23.08 percent in 2002, to a low of 19.96 in 2004.

The boardís decision to table the creation of a 2006 budget until later in the year was based on the need to determine the remaining tax base within the township.

Now that those figures have been compiled, Olson suggested the budget committee could begin work in mid-July, and should expect a normalized process.

ìIt doesnít appear to me that there will be any great problems doing the budget this year,î she added.

Township Engineer Mark Erichson announced to the board the survey of Heath Ave. from US-8 to the county line has been completed, and proposed sending a letter to Forest Lake to inquire as to their willingness to enter into a joint project, whereby Forest Lake would complete the black-topping to North Shore Drive.

The idea behind the suggestion is the possibility that Forest Lake could save funds on any project were it to be completed while the equipment needed is in the area.

Elmore suggested the letter include a time frame for completion, to make it clear that the township will be proceeding with its plans regardless of any decision by Forest Lake.

Erichson also apprised the board that a pre-construction meeting was scheduled later in the week for the Liberty Ponds development.

Although there remains a few administrative details to be ironed out before construction can actually begin, Erichson expects the developer to break ground, ìin the very near future.î

A variance was granted, and final plat approval given, to Shelly Elmore and Glen E. Johnsonís heirs for subdivision of 22.6 acres between those heirs. The subdivision will allow for five build-able lots, though three have residential structures already.

The variance allows for the lake lot to have a slightly smaller side set-back, and a 66-foot setback from the ordinary high water mark rather than the required 75-foot setback.

The board attached the recommended conditions from the planning commission, including the replacement of a failing septic system and the alteration of a cabin on the property so that it no longer meets the state building code requirements for a single-family dwelling.

Chair Roger Elmore abstained from any discussion or vote on the matter.

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