Pat Tepoorten
Wyoming Township Reporter

On Tuesday, Wyoming Township will elect a supervisor to replace Scott Walberg on the township board. On the ballot will be two residents, Mark Utecht and Curtis Lendt. Both candidates have represented the town in various capacities in the past, serving on the planning commission, and Lendt is a former Chisago County Commissioner as well.

Whoever is elected to the post on Tuesday will oversee a township that has had its tax base reduced by roughly one-third, and will help fashion a new budget based on that reduction in revenue.

Utecht, 39, noted that it will ìtake some adjusting to accommodate that loss of revenueî and applauded the boardís decision to postpone the creation of the 2006 budget for three months to allow the township to better understand how the loss of revenue will affect the budget.

ìWe just donít knowî what the township will need to spend or collect in taxes, he noted, as a result of the annexation.

Lendt, 81, expects that township residents to realize a ìsmall increaseî in yearly taxes to accommodate township expenditures, which are not expected to decrease congruent with the loss of revenue.

ìExpenses will be (roughly) the same,î Lendt said, who added, ìbut weíll be able to handle it.î He expects the impact of the annexation to increase the taxes of the average resident by about $100 a year.

The recent annexation still weighs heavily on the minds of the two candidates, and Lendt has filed an appeal of the decision, though he does not reside in the annexation area.

ìIím working for the township as a whole,î he said. Despite the recent decision, Lendt is not against future annexations, ìif they (cities) need land and can provide water and sewer in an orderly fashion. If cities can furnish these things we are very agreeable.î

He noted however, that Chisago City does not seem capable of providing these services to new residents in a timely fashion.

Utecht also recognizes the need for cities to annex township lands to accommodate growth at times, but disagrees with the current process, which he feels is unfair to township residents, not just in Wyoming, but in the rest of the state as well.

ìI donít want to outlaw annexation by any means, sometimes it is needed. But, the current law is flawed, and the issue is not dead in the legislature.î The law in question does not allow for township residents to have a say, via a vote, in their own future, he said.

ìThere is a lack of fairness there, and we should give township residents a voice in the process.î

Growth issues

Aside from annexation, both candidates see township growth as an issue in the next few years. ìWe are going to get more development,î said Utecht, who noted that the township will have to see that it is of the appropriate type and density to fit the township.

ìThe comprehensive plan is a good plan, but it is a living document,î he said and added it must be put to good use and adjusted accordingly, rather than simply filed away in a drawer.

Lendt sees growth as inevitable and does not approve of attempts to place overly harsh restrictions on landowners seeking to develop their land.

ìI believe the town board should work for the whole township, not just one clique or group. Iím against that.î He further noted that people who desire to protect land from development are always free to purchase that land, but shouldnít attempt to ìcontrolî land that they do not own.

Utecht describes himself as having his own ideas about what is best for the township but, at the same time, not at all adverse to differing opinions. ìI will do my best to listen and do what the residents want, but at the same time do whatís best for the future of the township.î

He said he is neither ìhardheadedî or ìwishy-washy,î but ìhappy to change if a better idea comes along." ìBut,î he added, ìIíll have to be convinced.î

ìTownship residents have made clear that they want to keep taxes low, that they like the township feel, and that rural character is important,î Utecht concluded, and noted his intention to ìkeep residents involved in the processî as much as possible.

Lendt describes himself as a fiscal conservative and added that, aside from the many pressing issues such as growth and annexation, he would like to press the Department of Natural Resources to have some of the various dams removed from bodies of water around the township.

ìSome of the lakes are at higher levels than they should be and have flooded some areas.î He mentioned Comfort Lake as an example and drew attention to the subsequent increased levels of mosquitos.

Lendt concluded by saying that he feels Utecht is a ìgood man tooî and residents shouldnít expect any political fights between the two. At the same time, he added, people should always have a choice.

The results of Tuesdayís election will be announced during the townshipís annual meeting, which is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. on March 8.

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