Greenwood Township relinquishes Planning & Zoning control to St. Louis County

SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 —

Nearly twenty years ago, in the late 1990s, Lake Vermilion residents and property owners residing in an unincorporated township west of Greenwood Township actively, and successfully, petitioned to join Greenwood Township. They specifically stated that their desire to be a part of Greenwood was because the township conducted its own planning and zoning. This week Greenwood ends all its planning and zoning responsibilities, turning them over to St. Louis County.

* * * * *

The Greenwood Township Board of Supervisors held a special meeting early Wednesday morning to give its final approval to a resolution relinquishing township control on planning and zoning to St. Louis County. This decision by the town board came just hours after the Planning Commission, on Tuesday evening, reluctantly made its recommendation to hand planning and zoning to the county.

The town board voted, four to one, to pass the resolution completing the process started in June, to relinquish local control. Supervisor Gene Baland was the lone dissenting vote. The resolution was passed without any public comment on the issue during this special meeting. Supervisor Randy Kladivo was the only board member who asked any questions. “I’d like to hear if there were any public comments at last night’s (Planning Commission) hearing?” Kladivo asked. Town Board Chairman Dr. John Bassing informed him that there was only one comment made, a comment in favor of turning planning over to the county. He also noted that the Planning Commission did not receive any written comments on the issue prior to the hearing.

Chairman Bassing said that this concluded a “grass roots effort” which started back in 2009 to have the township get out of the planning business. Bassing cited extra costs, enforcement, attorney fees, political fall out between neighbors and the expressed desire of township residents at the three most recent annual meetings as reasons the town board was voting to pass the resolution drafted by township attorney Michael Couri. “It’s been a weight of effort and people to get this through,” Bassing concluded.

Negotiations on settling the balance of the Planning Director’s three year contract are ongoing and were not discussed at this meeting. Earlier in September the board of supervisors terminated the Planning Director’s position effective mid-October, anticipating this eventual action.

“The insurance vote will have to be put off until another time because the attorney has not had an opportunity to review any of the information,” Chairman Bassing informed the board.

Turning to the final issue on the agenda for this special meeting, Bassing called for the board to close the open meeting and reconvene in a closed session. He cited attorney-client privilege as the reason for closing the meeting, so the board could discuss ongoing negotiations over Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Ken Davis Vs. Greenwood Township, a fire department labor complaint filed by Jeff Maus against the township. (Maus was appointed to serve as a supervisor on the town board in August 2016 and his complaint was filled more than two years ago). A motion to close the meeting passed with Supervisor Jeff Maus abstaining from voting. The board then met in closed session. The closed meeting lasted about one hour before the board reconvened in open session and then immediately approved adjournment of the special meeting.

Planning Commission

On Monday evening, 15 hours before the town board approved its resolution to hand all planning and zoning responsibilities to St. Louis County, the Planning Commission wrestled with the decision to make its recommendation to the board of supervisors on the matter. Five of the seven commission members met to conduct a public hearing seeking public input on the issue. The public had little to say. Marcy Moe provided the only comment, speaking in favor of turning planning and zoning over to St. Louis County.

Planning Commission Chairman Mark Drobac moved to recommend that the board of supervisors approve the proposed resolution. For a few moments it seemed like Drobac’s motion would die for a lack of support, however Don Doroff supported the motion, stating that he was doing so to open the issue to discussion.

Gene Baland, representing the town board on the planning commission, said that he would not support the resolution because he did not believe it was fair to township residents to proceed until people were given the opportunity to vote on the issue. He said that he recognized that voters at the annual town meeting gave their approval, but that he thought a better way to proceed would have been to have the issue on the ballot during a regular election cycle. “A lot of people are frustrated by not allowing planning and zoning to remain,” Baland said. “I don’t know if what we have is fair to all the voters.”

Dan Carnicom said that he agreed with Baland, however, “as a practical matter, I think it’s too far down the path to stop now.”

Jeff Lind said that he also agreed with Baland. “I feel it should have gone to a vote in the general election,” Lind said, adding that he also thought that the issue had proceeded to the point where it was too late to stop the turn-over now.

“One of the issues for having a township is to maintain local control. Despite everyone’s good effort we do not have a mandate,” Doroff said.

The commission continued discussion with Baland saying that he wanted it understood that the move to relinquish planning and zoning to the county was a town board decision and that all potential voters in the township did not have the opportunity to vote on the issue.

Chairman Drobac called for a vote on the motion and the motion failed with Baland and Lind opposing the motion, Drobac and Carnicom supporting the motion and Doroff voting “present.”

Discussion continued covering much of the same issues already cited until Doroff announced he would change his vote to be in favor of the motion, to recommend that the township turn planning and zoning over to the county. “Those residents who oppose this move should have been more active in letting their opinions be known,” Doroff said. With Doroff’s assenting vote the motion to recommend the proposed resolution to the town board for its consideration now passed, three–two.