A date has been set for the meeting between the city of Bemidji and Bemidji and Northern Townships to discuss the first phase of orderly annexation.
The Bemidji City Council, Bemidji Town Board and Northern Town Board are scheduled to convene at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Northern Town Hall.
The first phase of annexation was set five years to become eligible in 2010.
The City Council has discussed the potential of moving forward this year, but Northern Township has asked that annexation be delayed a year until the reassessment process for the Birchmont Drive reconstruction project is complete.
In response, the council has mulled the possibility of renegotiating the pay structure established by the orderly annexation agreement.
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Per the agreement, approved in November 2004 by all three municipalities, specific parts of the townships become eligible for annexation in 2010, 2015 and 2020.
Eventually, the city will collect tax dollars from the annexed properties, but it will not be immediate.
During the first year, in this case 2010, the township maintains its taxes levied against the properties, according to the annexation agreement.
The first full year of annexation, the township will keep 100 percent of the township property taxes.
On the second year, the township gets 80 percent of city taxes. Then, 60 percent in year three, 40 percent in year four and 20 percent in year five.
The city will keep all city property taxes from year six and beyond.
