Type:

Zoning

Oakport Joint Powers Board

Agency, Counties or Groups involved in the process:

This Joint Powers Board resulted from an Orderly Annexation agreement between the City of Moorhead and Oakport Township.  It consisting of 2 representatives from each participating political jurisdiction (City, County, Township).  The Board presides over zoning, land use and development decisions for properties located in the Joint Powers Area.

Why did you collaborate on this effort?

Keys to success / challenges / lessons learned / advice to others:

The Joint Powers Area is an area that received municipal services (sewer/water)from the City of Moorhead in 1991.  As part of the agreement to extend services the area is also under an Orderly Annexation agreement and will become a part of the City of Moorhead in 2015.  Provisions of the Annexation agreement also extended Moorhead's zoning and building codes jurisdiction into the area. Since the Annexation area will not be part of Moorhead until 2015 their was some concern voiced about how citizens would react to being under some City regulations but not having any input or control of those regulations.  To ensure some simplicity and equity for the residents the Joint Powers Board was established.  It primary task is to oversee and streamline the processes related to zoning, land use and development.  If the Joint Powers Board did not exist, citizens in the area would need to deal with as many as three different governmental jurisdictions for zoning, land use and development permits.

What have been the outcomes to-date?

KtS - Work cooperatively and try to see situations from the other jurisdiction's perspective. Listen!

Challanges - Gaining the trust of all parties involved.  Townships and cities tend to have a mutual distrust of one another so the County stepped in to act as a "disinterested" third party to provide balance to the Board.

Lessons learned - Things go much easier when people work together toward a common goal and are able to talk through their differences.

Advice to Others - Don't go it alone if you don't have to.  In certain situations like this the old adage "Two (or three) heads are better than one" really does apply and can work quite successfully.

Resources:

The Joint Powers Board has been very successful at directing development in the Joint Powers area.  Several new subdivisions have been platted and residential growth continues.  The Board, in conjuntion with the City, County and Township has also been instrumental in initiating a Growth Area Plan (GAP) and Alternate Urban Area Review (AUAR)for the Joint Powers area and areas immediately surrounding it.

For more information,
please contact:

Tim Magnusson, Planning Director

tim.magnusson@co.clay.mn.us