Hennepin County nixes Rockford's change-of-address plea

The town sits on the border of Wright and Hennepin counties. Its wish to have voters decide where it will be went nowhere with the County Board. That's not the end, though.

By JENNA ROSS, Star Tribune

Last update: June 17, 2008 - 9:40 PM

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Changing a county boundary is challenging. Just ask Rockford.

For years, the 3,800-resident city -- which straddles a county line -- has pushed and petitioned to bring its land in Hennepin County over to Wright County.

On Tuesday, the Hennepin County Board delivered a big setback: It rejected a measure that would have put the issue on the November ballot.

"I figured they'd do this," said Nancy Carswell, Rockford's city administrator. "This has been going on since I don't know when, and I guess we had some hope, but now ..."

Commissioners did not discuss the resolution -- which states that they have "no opposition" to changing the border in Rockford -- before voting it down 6-1. In the past, commissioners have said that allowing Rockford to switch would set a precedent that could prompt "a cascade of changes" to Minnesota's most populous county.

"There are others that are similarly situated," Commissioner Mike Opat said by phone Tuesday night. "Sometimes the folks that are more rural might identify more with the rural counties, and there shouldn't be an option to just let them out when they feel that way."

Other cities have been watching Rockford's situation. In recent months, little St. Bonifacius, a far-western city in Hennepin County, began to look at whether its taxes would be lower and its services better if it were part of nearby Carver County. But it doesn't even border Carver County; it would need to annex land to make its case.

"Rockford has a better shot," said St. Bonifacius Mayor Rick Weible. "There it makes absolute sense, seeing as they're physically split between the two."

The portion of Rockford in Hennepin County has just 400 residents, and its 91 property parcels make up only 10 percent of the total city value.

City officials say being split between law enforcement and ambulance service jurisdictions and tax rates is, at best, a headache.

State law allows changing counties' boundaries, but the process is involved. "It's not like flipping a light-switch," said David Hough, deputy Hennepin County administrator.

First, one-fourth of a county's residents must petition for the change. In Hennepin County, that would be 123,000 signatures, Hough said.

Rockford got around that: In 2007, the Legislature approved a measure for the city that takes the place of the petition. But the act requires the two county boards' approvals. The Wright County Board gave its OK quickly. Had the Hennepin County Board approved the resolution Tuesday, the issue still would have required majority votes in both counties.

The last time such a measure made it onto a ballot was in 2000, when Pine County residents considered splitting the county in two. But that November, residents voted down the split by almost 4-1.

Hennepin County's "no" might not end Rockford's effort.

Carswell suggested that, perhaps, there's a way to go around the Hennepin County Board by another act of the Legislature. But convincing a majority of voters to say OK -- through newspaper ads and public relations -- would be difficult, she said, for a little city with a limited budget.

Opat suggested that the city explore other possibilities. For example: What if the eastern part of Rockford switched cities, becoming a part of Greenfield? "That might be another way to look at it," he said.

Jenna Ross • 612-673-7168