and has many such burial mounds, once having more before these were destroyed by settlers.

As a more immediate example of what an expanded TIF would imply for city residents, take the arterial to be built on 100th Avenue and turned over at some point by the city to the county. Said arterial as a a multi-lane road to a planned future park would/will need space to be built – in other words, land.

Imagine that your property happens to be affected—as many no doubt are/will be in the future—but because the expansion of the city’s TIF boundary to include the city’s corporate limits also gives its powers of eminent domain under state law for the same you could/would be all but forced to sell your property for what is considered or deemed to be a fair market value even if you disagree, because the road arterial would be an example of providing ‘for the greater good.’ It needs be said in all this that the city and others have shown great deference to private developer’s property rights and that those who give their “candid input” as did one low-profile landowner per County presentation records from the May 5 Council meeting, or those whose town board representatives seek “minimum impact” on their behalf as took place in Grey Cloud Township, would be far less likely to shoulder the burden of any such road decision per eminent domain law.

But lest you think it’s just a matter affecting the nearby Mississippi River corridor, think again! Council representatives voting for such a proposed TIF boundary expansion could even see their own properties affected in years to come, once they leave the Council for private life as ordinary citizens. Law, after all, is meant to show no favoritism in these matters. As such, current Council members choosing to vote in approval of such an expanded TIF district when it comes before them would then be giving their successors at the head of Cottage Grove city government far-reaching powers they may not like all that much if applied to home.

Should the expanded TIF boundary be ultimately approved— and it isn’t yet, pending a public hearing and a vote—the city will have all but publicly declared itself for development above both retaining green space and/or resident wishes. That’s something that any justice-minded citizen or Council member, should think long and hard about.