By Sara Strong
The Luverne City Council voted to oppose legislation that could change the annexation process.
Township representatives are asking legislators to pass House file 2774 that reinstates the annexation election requirement.
Luverne Administrator Matt Hylen said the timing is worse for cities because legislators hear the bill on a day that coincides with the township associationÕs annual meeting. So townships will have more representation in St. Paul.
Under the new bill, when a city wants to annex land in the future, it could be put to vote if at least 35 percent of the property owners or 100 property owners in the proposed annexation area, whichever is less, sign a petition.
The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities said this gives townships all of the bargaining strength.
Another point of contention is that cities may have to provide services to residents near city borders without being able to charge those residents city taxes.
Those services could include much of the city's regular provisions to residents, but sewer is one that some cities have been forced to provide township residents.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency can force a city to provide sewer service to protect the environment from clusters of septic tanks. In township areas that border cities, and are essentially urban in nature, cities may have to provide sewer or water service without being able to collect city taxes from residents.
This would pose a problem for Luverne in how to bill for services.
Lowell Fick of the Luverne Township Board said townships are generally concerned with being able to keep their populations and the land in townships. He said he couldnÕt comment on this legislation specifically, but said he would like to see township residents who get city water service be able to keep that, without being annexed into the city.
The legislature repealed this election process in 1992 and the new bill would reinstate it.
The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities said the election isn't about the right to vote as it may first appear. It's instead about a way for townships to take away city taxpayer input in land use. Only voters within the area proposed to be annexed are entitled to vote.