a garbage fee alone will not continue to pay for services to unincorporated areas, just another burden by St John taxpayers as a result of an administration that sticks it's nose in other towns business. In this time in our economy, no developments going in, no houses being built, a town that is under a tax cap and cant pay its bills, increases in taxes for a new high school that St John's increase in size put a burden on; it's this type of GREED and money/land grabbing that has put our town, county, state and nation in trouble. Shouldn't we start to set an example locally? Should St John be creating an enemy with a neighboring town? If St John wants to annex, should have done before putting money into a project that had the potential to not be realized. Let's not forget the towns bill for legal fees. Again, out of taxpayers pockets.St. John objects to proposed Dyer annexation
StoryDiscussionFont Size: Default font size Larger font size BY VANESSA RENDERMAN
vrenderman@nwitimes.com219.933.3241 | Friday, November 21, 2008 | 20 comment(s)
DYER | St. John officials were on the other side of the dais during a public hearing Thursday night as they objected to a proposed annexation effort by the Town of Dyer.
Dyer is proposing to annex more than 3,000 acres south of town, which would affect 1,400 property owners. St. John had planned to eventually incorporate some of that same land.
St. John and three property owners recently annexed into St. John filed two written objections added to the record.
St. John Town Manager Steve Kil read a prepared statement of opposition on behalf of the town.
"St. John believes that the annexation is simply a land grab which will impose additional tax burden responsibility on property owners not interested in being within the Dyer corporate limits," Kil said.
The statement accuses Dyer of having no plan for orderly growth along with no way of providing water and sanitary service to the proposed annexation area, whereas St. John does.
"In fact, St. John has already extended its water and sanitary sewer services to portions of this Dyer proposed annexation area," Kil said.
St. John Town Council President Michael Fryzel also spoke, saying he disagreed with the way the public hearing was handled.
At the start of the meeting, Dyer Town Attorney Bill Enslen explained each person would be allowed one minute to speak. There would be no discussion, and no questions would be answered, he said.
"Answer the questions for the people," Fryzel told the Town Council, as the crowd of several hundred cheered.
Fryzel later said the meeting was a joke. During a public hearing, people should have their questions answered because it's the responsibility of the elected officials to do so, he said.
Fryzel also noted the strong police presence.
At least seven sworn members of the police department were at the meeting, both in uniform and in plainclothes.
Kil said the meeting was "not at all" what he expected. Usually, public hearings of this nature go on for several hours. Dyer's meeting took about an hour.
"I was really surprised," he said. "This was not normal by any means."
People had legitimate questions, and those questions weren't answered, he said. It's part of the responsibility of a Town Council to listen and respond to questions, Kil said.