Judge to decide annexation battle between Pine River and Wilson Township
By Kelly Virden
Pine River Journal Editor
It's up to a judge now to decide the fate of Wilson Township in the annexation proceedings with the city of Pine River.
Chief Administrative Law Judge Raymond Krause has at least 60 days to decide the outcome of the contested annexation between the two entities.
It's been more than a year since the city petitioned the state to annex portions of Wilson Township into the city - 1,682 acres of land bordered by Cass County Road 1 on the west and north; County Road 44 to the east; and Hassman Hill Road to the south.
Wilson Township supervisors were, and are, against the proposed annexation.
After two failed mediations between the city and township supervisors in February and April, the evidentiary portion of the trial kicked off Oct. 13 and continued through the Oct. 16 evening public hearing at the Warehouse.
The commercial businesses in Wilson Township may face the largest potential tax increase if annexed into the city of Pine River.
At least 19 Wilson Township businesses alone are located in the annexation area, along the Highway 371 corridor.
Before the trial, the city proposed establishing an urban and rural taxing district in the annexed area - each with its own tax rate.
Rural residential properties would maintain their current township tax rate until the city would extend water/sewer to them.
Under that proposal, commercial and urban properties would have paid twice the rural-residential tax rate. Commercial and urban properties would have had a four-year phased-in increase to get them aligned with the city's tax rates.
In exchange the city planned to provide increased services to the annexed area.
However, now negotiations are through and it's up to the judge to decide.
The city called eight witnesses - mostly city officials and department heads - in its two-and-a-half days of testimony.
On the afternoon of Oct. 15 the township called its first witness: John Sumption, Cass County Environmental Services Director.
Following, the attorneys and judge received a bus tour of the city and area proposed for annexation.
The morning of Oct. 16 the township's attorney called Cass County Sheriff's Deputy Tom Burch to the stand, followed by Wilson Township Supervisor Mark Buchite.
Following the public hearing, no additional witnesses were called to testify.
City and township officials now await the judge's decision.
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