Council takes no action on land purchase for Willmar Municipal Utilities facilities
on Monday again deferred action on a purchase agreement for 27 acres of land for
new facilities.
The presentation and discussion for that agenda item took more than an hour, after which action was deferred until the April 7 meeting of the City Council.
The land which Willmar Municipal Utilities wants to purchase for $600,000 for its new facilities is located just east of the Highway 71/23 Bypass and north of Willmar Avenue Southeast. It is adjacent to, but not within, the city limits.
The Municipal Utilities Commission approved the purchase agreement during its Feb. 24 meeting and it was on the City Council's agenda March 3 for approval. This is the fifth property down the list of properties that Willmar Municipal Utilities has tried to purchase since the search for land started in 2023.
The City Council on March 3 chose to defer approval for 30 days or until the next council meeting. City Attorney Robert Scott on Monday explained to the council that the City Charter's language is ambiguous and he interprets that to mean that the council could continue the matter to the April 7 meeting.
Some members of the City Council are questioning why Willmar Municipal Utilities wants to build its new facilities outside city limits — where there is significant cost to extend city sewer and water infrastructure — when there are parcels in the
that, in the opinion of those councilors, would be suitable for Municipal Utilities needs.
The cost to extend sewer and water services to the land on the bypass would be an estimated $2.7 million. However, that infrastructure, if built, would be able to service more than 400 acres of land in that area, not only the 27 acres to be purchased.
This is a breaking news update from Monday night's meeting. More details of the discussion from the meeting will be published later on wctrib.com.
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