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City Council Minutes 08-07-1985 SpecialMINUTES SPECIAL MEETING - MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL August i, 1985 - 7:00 P.M. A special joint meeting of the Monticello City Council and Monticello Township Board officials was duly called to order by the Mayor at 7:00 P.M. Members Present: Mayor Arve Grimsmo, Council Members Fran Fair, Bill Fair, Dan Blonigen, and Jack Maxwell. Also present were members of the Monticello Township Board consisting of Chairman Franklin Denn, Stuart Hoglund, Jerry Stokes and Charles Holthaus. In addition, County Zoning Administrator Tom Salkowski and County Board Member LeRoy Engstrom were in attendance. Also present were City Administrator, Tom Eidem and Finance Director, Rick Wolfsteller and Building Inspector, Gary Anderson. The purpose of this special joint meeting was to discuss with the Monticello Township Board Members the status of the orderly annexation area surrounding the City of Monticello and the possibility of conducting a study by the consulting city planner and city engineer regarding whether any or all of the OAA area should be considered for annexation by the City of Monticello. Originally, discussion by the City Council had previously taken place regarding possible annexation of a portion of the orderly annexation area located near the Monti Club hill due to possible expansion of the City's water system to include a water tower near the Monti Club. The City Administrator, Eidem, briefly gave a background history concerning the OAA area and possible need by the City to annex a portion or all of the OAA area because of the anticipated water tower location. Mr. Eidem noted that the City's consulting planner and City's consulting engineering firm have presented a proposal to the City Council for a study of the OAA area as to whether the criteria would be met for the area to be considered urban in nature and suitable for annexation in the City limits. Mr. Eidem noted that the purpose of the meeting was to receive input by township board members regarding the study. Mr. Tom Salkowski, County Zoning Administrator, presented a map of the Orderly Annexation Area and noted that in reviewing the building permits issued for residential developments within the last 32 years, 99 home permits and 3 mobil home permits were issued for the entire township with 50 of these residential permits and 1 mobile home permit being located in the OAA area. - 1 - Special Council Minutes - August 7, 1985 Approximately 50% of the residential development is occurring in the OAA area of the township. Mr. Salkowski noted that since the inception of the Orderly Annexation Area approximately 10 years ago, only one new residential subdivision (Tyler East) has been approved in the OAA area with the remainder of the residential development primarily taking place in previously platted sub- divisions. General concerns expressed by Council Member Blonigen and Council Member Fran Fair were in regard to the City's past and future input into the development that will occur in the OAA area next to the City limits. These concerns were generally related to City input for approval of subdivision plats as to lot sizes, etc. in order to make the lots more suitable for City utilities if and when they should ever become part of the City limits. In the past, it appears that all of these divisions have quite large lots which will make them very hard to serve with sewer and water utilities, etc. Township Chairman Denn and Zoning Administrator Salkowski indicated that the City's input in future residential subdivisions would not be a problem and that the County and Township officials would look favorable upon requiring subdivisions to have either smaller lots or plat the parcels showing larger lots with an overlay indicating how the property can be subdivided in the future for addition building lots when and if it should become part of the City. Township Board Member Stuart Hoglund questioned who would end up paying for the cost of sewer and water extensions to serve the far away plats within the OAA area if the parcels were annexed into the City as he felt the cost would be prohibitive. It was noted by Mayor Grimsmo that even if part of the OAA area were annexed into the City, it wouldn't automatically mean that sewer and water would be extended unless petitioned for by the property owners. The Township Chairman Denn noted that in his opinion the com- prehensive plan of the OAA area needed to be looked at for changes as most of the property is currently zoned residential and he felt that during the last 10 years major residential developments have not occurred and the property should possibly be rezoned to agricultural. By designating the areas closer to the City as residential, and leaving the areas further away from the City as agricultural, the Township, County and OAA Board would have more author- ity to direct development near to the City limits where it belongs. - 2 - Special Council Minutes - August 7, 1985 City Administrator Eidem suggested that possibly the comprehensive plan should be reviewed in light of Mr. Denn's comments and that maybe residential areas next to the City limits in the OAA area should be immediately annexed into the City to provide for residential development and the remaining agricultural zoning areas could remain in the township with the OAA actually being desolved at this time. The OAA Board in this case would no longer be needed as both parties would have agreed to what areas should remain agricultural and what areas should be developed as residential. Although the discussion basically centered on how the City and Township could cooperate and regulate future subdivision plats within the OAA area, the basic reason for the joint meeting was to not only discuss planning input in the OAA, but to also discuss whether the City should continue to pursue annexation of a part or all of the OAA area. City Administrator Eidem noted that land use planning is essential but other concerns of the City is the population growth in the OAA area and what strain this growth will be putting on City services and resulting expenses of the City. Mr. Eidem noted that in his opinion when the OAA Area and Township population, in general, starts to exceed the population of the City, the services are being strained and result in more expense for the City for -maintenance of its basic utilities such as streets and public services such as libraries, fire protection, city parks, etc. Mr. Eidem recommended that if the study is completed by the city planner and city engineer, the study should show whether or not the OAA area is growing rapidly enough to be considered urban which at that point should be possibly annexed into the City. If the population growth is occurring in the OAA area and a study shows that the population of the township is causing increasing burdens for the City of Monticello residences, possibly annexation of the area into the City should be considered. Although the Council Members present were not ready to make a decision in pursuing the annexation study, the item was directed to be placed on a future council agenda for additional con- sideration. The joint meeting was adjourned. Rick Wolfstelle Assistant Administrator - 3 -