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Residents urge delay as Brainerd council stalls Riverside Drive annexation
Summary
After a contested public hearing on an orderly annexation agreement for the Riverside Drive area, residents pressed the council for answers about taxes, utility costs and environmental impacts; the council voted down a joint annexation resolution and directed staff to return with more fiscal and engineering details.
Brainerd’s City Council declined on Feb. 17 to adopt a joint orderly annexation resolution for the Riverside Drive area after a packed public hearing in which many nearby property owners urged delay.
The council considered a joint resolution with Crowing County that would designate areas for “orderly annexation” and create a framework for future municipal hookups, but would not automatically annex properties. James Cranbeck, city staff, told the council the agreement allows annexation later by resolution based on owner petitions, certain city‑initiated criteria, or island annexations where municipal utilities can be provided within two years.
The public hearing that followed drew more than a dozen residents from River Arches, Ashman Road and Riverside Drive. Rachel Khan, who lives on Riverside…
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