April 29, 2025
RE: Important Community Meeting – Northern Township’s Path to Incorporation
Dear Northern Township Property Owner,
Northern Township is planning on filing a Notice of Intent to Incorporate as a city with the State of Minnesota. Incorporation will allow us to keep local decision making in local hands, keep your taxes steady, protect our rural character, and plan responsibly for major investments—such as the forthcoming wastewater system—without the significant added costs of being annexed by another municipality.
The City of Bemidji has responded by calling on Northern Township to stop our incorporation process in order to negotiate with the City for an orderly annexation agreement. Bemidji has also indicated its intent to file a counter-petition, potentially seeking to annex all or part of Northern Township into the City. Annexation would remove your direct voice in Township governance and shift important decisions—such as tax rates, land-use policies, and service priorities—to Bemidji’s City Council.
To ensure every resident understands what is at stake and how you can be heard, the Township Board is hosting an informational meeting on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in the 4H Building at the Beltrami County Fairgrounds (7223 Fairgrounds Rd NW).
NOTE: Due to construction on Fairgrounds Rd., please utilize the north end of Fairground Rd to access the Fairgrounds.
At this meeting we will:
1. Explain the incorporation process and timeline.
2. Outline Bemidji’s counterpetition and what it could mean for property owners.
3. Describe the upcoming court proceeding (expected within 60 days).
4. Provide clear, practical ways you can support our Township’s case and make your voice count.
Your attendance is essential. A strong turnout on May 7—and later at the court’s publiccomment session—will demonstrate that Northern Township residents are engaged, informed, and committed to shaping our own future.
We understand that you will have questions. Township staff and legal counsel will be present on May 7 to provide information and nextstep guidance. Until then, you may direct general inquiries to my office at 2184441857 or chris.lahn@northerntownship.com.
Please mark your calendar, bring your neighbors, and join us. Together we can ensure that decisions about Northern Township remain in the hands of those who live, work, and raise families here.
Sincerely,
Chris Lahn
Township Administrator
(on behalf of the Northern Township Board of Supervisors)