Posted: 5/17/05
By Anne Thom
A discussion on the annexation of land surrounding the city of Stacy to accommodate the cityís growth was originally scheduled for the May 10 meeting. It was held May 12.
City Attorney Peter Grundhoefer said he had researched the issue brought before the council at its April 26 meeting and concluded that nothing will restrict the city from adopting an Agricultural Zone.
The question was asked: when can something be set up with the Planning Commission to lay the groundwork for future expansion?
The council was encouraged to keep planning for future growth.
The consultant to this process was identified to the Post Review by City Clerk Sharon Payne as George Hoff, an attorney who specializes in land use.
Mayor Michael Carlson said ìweíve got to keep this moving forward.î
Grundhoefer passed out a memo to the Council and city employees. The city declined to disclose to the Post Review the content of the memo citing attorney-client privilege.
Stacy seems to have made it known, by putting this memo on the table, that the city is seeking to expand itís boundaries through annexation.
The actions of the council last week indicated they are hoping Lent Township can be persuaded that this would be a win-win situation for both communities.
A letter had been sent to the Lent Township Board of Supervisors. The Board responded with proposed dates for a meeting. The date the council agreed to respond would work best for a meeting was May 16. The next point of contention was where the meeting should be held.
There was a suggestion to hold the meeting in Lindstrom but Councilman John Daher said the meeting needed to be held in Stacy or Lent or the public would interpret this as the Council is trying to hide something.
It was decided to contact the Lent Township in writing for a meeting to be scheduled for May 16 at the Stacy-Lent Fire Hall.
Toward the end of the meeting last week, the city council approved ordinance 903.11 ñ Agricultural Zoning District.
A copy of this ordinance was not yet available to the press.
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