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Minnesota City leaders now are mulling other ways to use a $1.27 million grant offered by Minnesota’s Public Facilities Authority, as part of a larger state effort to upgrade septic units in areas hit by the 2007 flood. Authority officials originally suggested the funds be used to hook Minnesota City into Goodview’s sewer system, triggering talks between the two cities last month.
But Goodview Mayor Jack Weimerskirch said last week that city leaders won’t alter their policy of not providing utilities to properties outside Goodview. “(The proposal) doesn’t make good managerial sense,” he said.
Mayor Don O’Neil said Minnesota City leaders are considering building their own wastewater treatment plant, building shared septic systems or upgrading individual septic units.
“Right now, we’re just looking at how we could make the thing work,” O’Neil said. “There are a lot of possibilities.”
Though authority officials originally suggested the Goodview-Minnesota City sewer partnership, agency spokesman Jeff Freeman said this week that the grant also could be used to build new septic systems, so long as they’re publicly owned and maintained.
“We’re not looking in any way to push the city into something that would require annexation,” Freeman said.
The authority has given Minnesota City leaders until December to decide whether to accept the funds.
O’Neil has repeatedly said Minnesota City doesn’t want to consolidate with Goodview, which earlier this year annexed two subdivisions that, while outside its corporate limits, historically were considered part of Minnesota City. Residents of the Gunderson and Saehler subdivisions previously had balked at consolidating with Goodview, but backed its latest annexation bid after the city landed
$3.8 million in state funds to extend water and sewer lines to the subdivisions.
Mark Sommerhauser may be reached at (507) 453-3514 or at msommerhauser@winonadailynews.com.
