Planning for 900 in 2010

How do you plan for welcoming 900 new residents in one fell swoop? How about an informational letter and an invitation to your house? I'm not talking about the pipeline crews that have descended on the city. It's the estimated 900 people that live in the first orderly annexation area.

The Bemidji city council recently voted to to exercise their authority and annex the first tier of properties defined in an Orderly Annexation agreement with Bemidji and Northern Townships. The agreement, signed in 2004, maps out areas of the townships to be annexed in 2010, 2015, and 2020.

City and Joint Planning staff have been working out a plan for communicating with the soon-to-be-annexed residents to make a smooth transition from "country" to "city" living. It turns out that the devil is in the details and there are a lot of details.

Here are some of the "uniquely city" things that new city residents might need to know:

• Residential garbage pickup--the city is the exclusive hauler in the city, so if someone else picks up at your house, you will have to switch haulers.
• Building permits--the city enforces the state building code, so all new construction will require a building permit and may also require a licensed contractor.
• Rental units--the city has a rental registration ordinance, so if you own a rental in the annexation area, you will have to be inspected and licensed when your property comes into the city.
• Sales tax--the city collects a half cent local option sales tax from businesses that have transactions in the city, so if you own a business, you will have to start collecting and remitting the tax.
• Business license--you may need a license in the city, even if you didn't need one in the township.
• Voting--your polling place and your local elected official will change; Wards 3 (on the north), 4 (on the west) and 5 (on the east) will be expanded; all new residents will also be represented by the At-Large member of city council.
• City Code--the code of ordinances that makes up the rules in the city is different than the township's, so you might find that things allowed in the townships are not allowed in the city;

Two things that won't change:

1. Even though the city has an exclusive franchise for off-sale liquor, when Northern Liquor is annexed into the city, it will be grandfathered in as the exception to the rule.
2. The Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance will also remain the same. That was adopted in 2007 by all three governments and was the first test of the joint agreement. It has been functioning pretty well for more than two years, so staff are optimistic that other transitions will also be successful.

If you are in the annexation area, look for more information and an invitation to an open house at City Hall in the next few months.