The City of Clearwater and Clearwater Township met Monday evening to begin discussions about a new Joint Orderly Annexation Agreement.

 

The two entities have met before to establish agreements on future annexation, but the last agreement from 2012 was never forwarded to the state.

 

“It went to all three entities (city, township and county)” said Clearwater City Administrator Kevin Kress, “but never to the state.”

 

In effect, the city and township have been without an official agreement governing how and where annexation would take place.

 

Monday, Kress presented a draft of a new agreement that was revised by himself and City Attorney Dave Lenhardt. It was the first opportunity for the city and township to sit down and review the document.

 

Township Supervisor Rose Thelen brought up her first concern - the lack of a map showing the annexation area.

 

She said when the city developed its long-term comprehensive land use plan, it didn’t sit well with some township residents.

 

“I remember the disagreement about the comp plan when it was first developed,” she said. “You had all kind of industry in the township and you were going so far into the township. We passed a resolution that we did not support this comp plan.”

 

“It was very contentious,” said Councilman Kris Crandall.

 

Councilman Richard Petty said the comp plan and the annexation area map weren’t the same.

 

“I don’t think the comp plan and the orderly annexation area mimic each other,” he said. “The comp plan might have been out 10, 15 or 20 years, and we’re talking about a time when it appeared as though we were going to grow a lot faster. The orderly annexation area should only be as far as what we believe is feasible to even reach.”

 

Township Clerk Jean Just said the area established in the 1998 agreement was 1,872 acres.

 

Clearwater Mayor Pete Edmonson said the annexation area hadn’t been changed.

 

“If the township and the city  agreed upon a specific land map in 2012, which everyone thought was approved, we haven’t gone and adjusted and revised that,” he said, “so that still exists somewhere in some file.”

 

Township Supervisor Bill Langenbacher’s concern was the lack of a joint planning board in the new agreement’s language.

 

Kress said he felt the board might be redundant. 

 

“If something were to happen in the township, you as the town board could just notify the City of Clearwater,” he said. “If it didn’t fit the map that we’d agreed on, the city would send a response that we don’t want that built.”

 

The joint planning board had members form the city, township and the county zoning administrator who met to review any development plans in the annexation area. Langenbacher felt the township would be left out “of the loop” without that board.

 

“We don’t do planning and zoning at the township,” said Clerk Just. “The reason they went with joint planning board is so somebody at the township has a say.”

 

One of the city’s main concerns was development in the township right at the city’s borders. Mayor Pete Edmonson mentioned businesses like Mathison Motors on Hwy. 24, which is surrounded by city property. He also spoke about business on Co. Rd. 75, like Interstate Automotive and Tri-county Lumber, which are in the annexation area. If a developer wanted to build further east of those businesses, how would the city extend water and sewer there?

 

“We’re trying to figure out how does the city grow if businesses are popping up on our border and they don’t want city services,” he said.

 

Kress said there is language in the draft agreement allowing to city to annex areas contiguous or adjacent to city property. He said it’s necessary for growth.

 

“We’re not interested in just taking properties,” he said. “But if it’s prohibiting us from extending service out there...”

 

Those are a few of the issues the city and township will continue to discuss before a final agreement is signed. They agreed to  have another meeting once another revised draft is written.