For several years, there has been an ongoing dispute between Wright County and Corinna Township concerning which entity has the right to make zoning decisions. The township contends it has the resources, staff and knowledge to get the job done. The county maintains that it should have the right to manage shoreland zoning because of the potential ramifications of polluting area lakes and aquifers. That argument resulted in a court decision May 21, but as learned at the Tuesday, June 16, meeting of the Wright County Board, county officials aren’t willing to let the matter die. By a 4-1 vote, the county board approved continuing the case to appeals court. On May 21, Administrative Law Judge Kathleen Sheehy issued an order siding with Corinna Township and the Department of Labor and Industry’s claim that the township has the requirements to handle its own building permits. In a statement released Monday, June 15, Charles Marohn of Community Growth Institute said the ruling verifies what township officials have contended – that they have the legal right and ability to enforce their own zoning laws. "The order reaffirms that the township is the sole building official within its boundaries. Corinna Township has long held to its view that state statutes give it a right to issue building permits and that Wright County may not ‘double-permit’ the residents of Corinna Township," Marohn said in the release. Corinna supported "The Town’s position has been supported by the Department of Labor and Industry, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, and now a judge in St. Paul. "Corinna Township has been issuing building permits since Aug. 11, 2008. Corinna Township residents and officials have been the target of reprisals from Wright County throughout this process and since the judge’s ruling." Among the contentions made by the township are that Wright County Planning and Zoning has imposed notification requirements to view county records. Corinna also says the county planning department has sought compensation for time spent reading e-mails and pulling public data, and it requires county permits as well as township permits that result in anyone seeking a permit to pay twice for the same permit he or she would get in any other township. The township got support from one of the commissioners. Rose Thelen broke ranks from her fellow commissioners by saying that continuing the court fight doesn’t make sense on several levels – from the financial implications during tough economic times to further fracturing the relationship between the county and the township. Against legal battle "I am against keeping this adversarial legal battle going," Thelen said. "After reading reams of documents that have been issued in the case, attending (township) planning and zoning meetings, reviewing the procedures that Corinna has set up, talking to experts on all sides – including experts in township law – and most recently having talked to the DNR (which administers shoreland rules), I am confident that Corinna has not only the legal authority to do so, but also the commitment and procedures in place to do the job right." Commissioner Jack Russek countered that the county still believes it has the right to manage shoreland areas and was willing to allow the township to do all of its own permitting with the exception of shoreland areas. That offer, Russek said, was rejected and all legal proceedings have been initiated by the township, not the county. The board voted to continue the case to the appellate court level. Thelen voted against the resolution. The case will likely be heard sometime later this summer.
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