RES 06-023 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . . RESOLUTION 06-23 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ELK RIVER A RESOLUTION IN GENERAL SUPPORT OF THE LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA CITIES' EFFORTS TO PRESERVE THE AUTHORITY OF MINNESOTA CITIES TO USE EMINENT DOMAIN (WITH MODIFICATIONS). WHEREAS, the City of Elk River is currently authorized under Minnesota State Statutes to exercise eminent domain for public purposes including redevelopment, housing and securing property for infrastructure and other revitalization efforts that provide employment opportunities, improve the City's tax base and to mitigate conditions caused by blight; and, WHEREAS, redevelopment activities are essential for Minnesota cities to mitigate deteriorating properties that cause valuation losses to surrounding properties and create an atmosphere where property reinvestment ceases, and also to correct market conditions and to combat public safety issues; and, WHEREAS, the City of Elk River understands that while eminent domain is a necessary tool for the City, it is also a great responsibility that potentially changes the lives of those it affects; and, WHEREAS, the City of Elk River on very few occasions has exercised or threatened to exercise its authority of eminent domain to acquire properties to implement redevelopment plans created through public meetings and lengthy public processes and for traditional public improvements (and, in recent uses, such actions were only threatened at the request of the affected landowner for tax reasons); and, WHEREAS, it is critical that the City of Elk River maintains its authority of eminent domain for traditional public improvement acquisitions such as public road easements, parks, utilities and infrastructure; and, WHEREAS, the Elk River City Council, in conjunction with the City's Economic Development Authority and Housing and Redevelopment Authority, recognizes that the changes proposed in the Johnson-Bakk bill and similar bills to modify state and federal statutes and regulations will severely undermine the ability of local communities to undergo critical redevelopment activities and to secure necessary public improvements; and, WHEREAS, the City of Elk River recognizes that improvements to the current eminent domain processes are appropriate to ensure transparency for all those involved and that some reasonable restrictions on the use of eminent domain may be warranted; and, WHEREAS, the League of Minnesota Cities is proposing legislation that would preserve the authority of :Minnesota cities to use eminent domain while suggesting amendments to improve the eminent domain process, but that additional reasonable restrictions on eminent domain use may be appropriate.