Alice Pickering
Wyoming Reporter

The costs for the annexation are being evenly split between the city of Wyoming and Wyoming Township.

“There is a fair separation and sharing of costs for all the legal work related to the orderly annexation request,” City Administrator Craig Mattson said on Nov. 14.

The city is underwriting the cost of the comprehensive plan for the expanded city, which is either to be reimbursed next year or through the merger. The cost of this comprehensive plan is $46,000, to be evenly split.

It is the plan for the combined new city, according to Roger Elmore, chair of Wyoming Town Board. The township comprehensive plan has been “changing to meet with the city plan,” he added.

Council member Gary Menne said the questions people are asking him suggest some residents are confused about the meanings of the words annexation and merger. Much of the reporting about the on-going action has used the terms interchangeably.

There are some differences which Mattson explained. A petition for annexation means that the city is seeking to add an asset; the land it is adding to its area. Usually this is a unilateral move.

A petition for orderly annexation means a city is annexing both the assets and the liabilities that the tax base supports.

In the case of the city of Wyoming and Wyoming Township, the two communities have done the planning together. The mutual goal is merger.

Menne asked about maps for the areas contested by Stacy and Chisago City. Mattson explained the maps available from city sources show the boundaries of an expanded Wyoming, but not those offered by the other two cities.

This is because their claims are not recognized by the city and township, he said.

Other topics

Resident Sally Detlefsen was concerned about what she thinks is a meandering property line adjacent to new construction for CU Recovery. She told the council that the direction of the drainage has changed to pitch toward the back of the lot.

Others in the neighborhood, who could not attend, have many of the same concerns, she said.

Engineer Mark Erichson said the uneven line is likely the silt fence for the construction. He has talked with the construction manager for the project and the property lines will be staked.

Dan Birdsall, developer of Skylar Meadows, was granted a six-month extension to file the plat and finalize the developer’s agreement with the city. His request had been for a one-year extension beyond the Oct. 31 deadline.

The vote was 5-0 in favor of the shorter extension. Platted land is taxed at a higher rate than un-platted land.

In answer to a question from Councilman Ted Phillips, Mattson said any and all unpaid utility bills for all residents at the end of 2007 are to be certified with Chisago County to be collected with 2008 property taxes.

Phillips thanked the council for changes in the signs regulating parking in his neighborhood. The city is trying to allow reasonable street parking for family gatherings, but prevent gridlock during youth sports activities.

The police department and city staff continue to work on this issue.

Other topics

In other business, the city council:

•Rescheduled the first January council meeting to 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008.

•Tabled until Dec. 18, 2007, a decision about issuing a solicitation permit to Gary Jensen, ACE Solid Waste, to contact residents to offer waste disposal pickup.

•Learned from Tim Patterson, organizer of the Stagecoach Days 5K Run, that a contribution of $865 was made to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Fairview Medical Center contributed the T-shirts for the event.

•Authorized the advertisement for and sale of 1996 John Deere 6X4 Gator Utility Vehicle.

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