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Residents speak in Wyoming Township annexation fight |
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Thursday, 27 March 2008 |
Alice Pickering
Wyoming Area Reporter
Judging by the addresses given and locations pointed out on maps, most of those attending the public hearing about the contested annexation are residents of Wyoming Township. Most also recognize that when the decision about these petitions is made, Wyoming Township will become part of one or more cities.
Many who spoke Wednesday evening supported the orderly annexation of Wyoming Township and the city of Wyoming under a plan these entities hammered out together. Overwhelmingly the reason was self determination.
Folks seem to remember the recent hostile annexation and/or they have heard from former Wyoming Township residents of the effects it has had on them as new residents of Chisago City.
About 80 people attended the meeting, nearly filling the Wyoming City Hall community room. At least one attorney from each of the three legal teams attended, as well as officials from Chisago City, Wyoming and Wyoming Township.
Administrative Law Judge Steven Mihalchick explained that part of his responsibility in this decision, is to “consider that public interest.” He presided over the informal hearing, allowing those who signed up to speak, and later allowed comments and questions from the audience.
The thread of thought through many comments was satisfaction with township living and that there were no plans to join with another city, until the action by Chisago City to annex a sizable chunk of Wyoming Township in 2005.
Residents were willing to politely, but firmly, share their opinions. Many who spoke were happy to express themselves now, particularly since they said they had never been listened to by Chisago City in the earlier annexation process.
Public comments
Chisago City Council member Sue Skow spoke in support of Chisago City. The city has substantial infrastructure in place to support further growth. She believes the “areas in need of service (utilities) should be in Chisago City.”
Gary Menne, Wyoming Council member, claimed that one financial report prepared for the joint annexation “has never been distributed to the city or council members.” According to Menne, Mayor Sheldon Anderson and Roger Elmore, chair of the Wyoming Town Board, have not been entirely open about negotiations.
Menne said Anderson was ready to go to war about the issue.
Later, Anderson said Menne had made up the accusations.
Menne said he is concerned about cost to the city and township for the contested issue. He believes there is a large tax increase coming.
Mark Utecht, a Wyoming Town Board supervisor, said he has attended all but two joint comp plan meetings. The “Wyomings have clearly worked together, solicited input from residents,” Utecht said. “I do not want to be a part of Stacy.”
Utecht said elected representatives of Wyoming and Wyoming Township have been in attendance at every meeting this week, but no one from either Chisago City or Stacy has.
Wyoming Township resident Robert Bohnen was blunt: “I do not want to go to Chisago.”
Gene Olson, chairman of Lent Town Board, told the judge, “A lot can be accomplished if (governments) work together in the interest of the people. Wyoming and Wyoming Township should be allowed to go to (the) orderly annexation agreement.”
Russ Goudge, former Wyoming council member, supports the orderly annexation. The requests to annex parts of the township have limited Wyoming growth. He said Chisago City is trying to block the Xccent site annexation to the city.
He said he would like to see sewer extended to the Comfort Lake area to maintain the water quality. He pointed to plans that Wyoming Township has made to extend Innsbruck Ave., a north-south street to intersect with CR-84 which will improve the north-south traffic flow in the township.
More comments
Others in favor of orderly annexation included business owners Nancy Immel and Cameron Strand. Strand’s property is in the area to be annexed to Chisago City.
Immel has attended many of the public meetings and believes most in the township favor merger with Wyoming.
Strand owns about 240 acres of agricultural land just east of the Polaris plant, which he believes will eventually be residential. He said township residents will be “better served by staying with the city of Wyoming.” He also said there will be a lot of development along the I-35 corridor.
Norm Tolzmann has lived in Wyoming Township his whole life on a farm first purchased by his grandfather. He supports orderly annexation because the city and township “worked together to consider the best of both communities.”
He cited good police and fire response, and joint parks. He said the merger will allow “one Wyoming tomorrow.”
Curt Krueger indicated his support off the annexation position and asked Mihalchick “why was it allowed to become a contested case?”
Tom Rosner polled his neighbors who are pleased with police response in their neighborhood now.
Judy Coughlin, a long-time resident, serves on the township planning commission and has worked on the joint comprehensive plan. She referred to the original annexation where hundreds of residents were opposed to the annexation. She only recalled three who wanted to go with Chisago City. Nobody listened.
She said the township is now “proactive in joining the city we want to (join).” She addressed language used by Chisago City attorneys and objected to the repeated use of the word “scheme” regarding the joint annexation action. “We have the right to plan for our future.”
Coughlin continued that staff in Wyoming Township will be incorporated into city staff and no one will lose jobs. The agreements are equitable and the concerns from the hostile annexation are being addressed. Residents have been given choice about hooking up to sewer system, she said. She explained that most want to remain with in a rural service area, and a rural serve tax district with phased in utilities.
Mayor Don Taylor, who did not attend on Wednesday evening, has had an increase of $200 a year and sees a police squad near his home once in a while, she said.
During the first annexation, Chisago City made promises it has not kept with regard to the township and Coughlin said there is “no reason to believe it will be different this time.” She concluded, “If we can’t be a township, then let us join Wyoming. This time it is different.”
Jeremy Owens, Wyoming supervisor, asked the judge to poll the audience, betting that most were in favor of the annexation. Referring to planner Ciara Schlichting’s testimony that she was unaware of the joint comprehensive plan; “she knew about our joint comp plan because her company had bid for the job, but was turned down,” Owens said.
As for her suggestion that Wyoming might venture west to annex part of Linwood Township if it needed space that would be crossing a county border and dealing with the Met Council, he said.
District 17 Sen. Rick Olseen, who serves on the Minnesota Boundary Adjustment Task Force, said the annexation process is not working well in Minnesota. He said city and township representatives are trying to solve some of these problems. He urged Mihalchick to consider the Wyoming agreement.
District 17B Rep. Jeremy Kalin is a resident of Chisago Lake Township and understands the feeling of lack of control and no vote in this matter. He asked Mihalchick, “as much as you can, honor the orderly annexation as much as possible.”
Wyoming Township resident Doug Stoltzman said residents should have the “freedom to choose our own destiny.”
In similar ways, Wyoming Council member Tom LaBarre, town residents Robert Taylor and Steve Krengel expressed the same feelings.
Tony Peterfeso, Chisago City, spoke in favor of Chisago City’s move to annex parts of Wyoming Township. He claimed that despite a lot of new building in the city, his taxes have steadily declined. His position is that the township exists for city expansion and it is there for everybody. He said that the two Wyomings “deliberately excluded Chisago City and Stacy from their negotiations.”
Residents were allowed to submit written comments and Mihalchick collected about 10 of these. He provided his address and e-mail address to allow other comments. A deadline of April 1 was set.
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