Northern Township has filed its response to the City of Bemidji’s recent motion asking the Court to reconsider portions of Judge Palmer-Denig’s incorporation decision. Our attorneys have laid out in detail why that motion should be denied, and we are confident in the strength of the Court’s original ruling. A copy of our response is found on our Township’s incorporation webpage for anyone who would like to read it in full.
We want to take a moment, though, to address something bigger than this motion.
Following the Court’s decision, Northern Township reached out to the City of Bemidji with a letter proposing that we sit down and discuss a wastewater service connection. We did this because we believe it is clearly the best path forward for everyone involved: our residents, Bemidji’s residents, and the broader community.
Here is what we proposed and why it makes sense:
The Township would build and pay for its own sewer collection system. Bemidji would treat our wastewater at the same rates it charges its own residents. This arrangement would generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in ongoing user fee revenue for the City of Bemidji, revenue it will not see if the Township is forced to build a separate treatment facility instead.
We also offered to purchase Bemidji’s engineering plans for the lake sewer project, roughly $350,000 worth of work that the City has no other use for. That is real money Bemidji could recover.
On the Township side, avoiding a second treatment plant saves millions that can go directly toward Phase 2 of our sewer project and connecting to an already operational system gets service to more residents sooner.
During the trial, Judge Palmer-Denig repeatedly encouraged both communities to work together going forward, and we have taken that to heart. That is why we sent the letter, and it is why we continue to believe the right conversation is not happening in a courtroom but instead at a table where both sides can plan together for what is best for both of our communities.
Let us be clear: we are fully prepared to move forward with our currently planned wastewater system, and that work continues. However, we also remain ready to sit down and discuss cooperative options with the City of Bemidji at any time. Northern Township is committed to being a good neighbor, and we believe cooperation – not continued litigation – is what our communities deserve.
We will continue to keep our residents informed every step of the way.
Northern Township Board