Linwood Township stands alone

Lifelong Linwood Township resident Vernon Boettcher still lives in the house where he was born 87 years ago. His cattle, original barn and much of his farmland are gone. But little else has changed.

"Still don't have city water, still don't have a city sewer system, still don't see much reason that this township should become a city," Boettcher said recently.

The last stop in Anoka County's far northeast corner is also the county's last township and one of the few remaining townships in the immediate metro area. And folks in this community of 5,000 see no reason to change a government structure that has been used for centuries elsewhere.

"Maybe there's more money that can be tapped into if you are a city, but right now the people have control of the money they want to be taxed," said Linwood Township clerk Judy Hanna.

"The negative of being a township is that once you become a city, it's harder to be annexed."

Linwood Township, about 36 square miles in size, is not an immediate target of any city's known annexation plans, Hanna said. But annexation concerns spurred the Anoka County township of Columbus to become a city two years ago. And this summer, the county's only other township, Burns Township, became the city of Nowthen.

Hassan Township, the last township in Hennepin County, is scheduled to be annexed by the city of Rogers in January 2012. In Ramsey County, White Bear Township is the lone remaining township.

"There are some people who do talk about the benefits of becoming a city," said Joe Dolphy, a retired fire chief who has spent nine years on the township's planning board.

Dolphy has lived in Linwood Township 43 years and owns one of the town's few businesses, an auto repair shop. He says the township already has many of the departments cities have. The town contracts for public safety protection, but so do several cities in the county, including growing communities like Andover.

"I'd like to see us become a city for the tax benefits," Dolphy said. "The argument against becoming a city is people say they would lose their say on taxes, that levies would be set. But the townspeople really have no say in how the money is spent because that's up to the town board.

"A lot of funding that comes back to the cities seems to skip us," Dolphy said. "We're a rural community, but if we were a city, highway funding might come automatically."

In rural Minnesota, townships are more the norm than the exception. There are 1,786 townships in Minnesota, but only 855 cities, said Eric Hedke, an attorney for the Minnesota Association of Townships.

Those townships are not subject to levy limits, Hedke said. The citizens tax themselves, setting a tax levy on the second Tuesday in March. Supervisors and board members then decide on the budget.

"To a great extent, a township is still a democracy, one of the places where your vote really counts," said Tom Searing. He and his wife, Carol, both retired, moved from Bradford Township in Isanti County to Linwood Township three years ago.

"The local taxes are lower because you don't have to pay salaries for a mayor or city council," he said. "The disadvantage is, with less tax money to work with, we still have a lot of gravel roads."

And no city water or sewer system. But the city of Ham Lake is also without its own sewer system, as are other rural cities.

"Sure, this town has grown with the times," said Boettcher, who has spent 29 years on Linwood Township's Planning Commission.

Boettcher and his wife, Fern, once had 75 head of cattle on their grain farm. They sold most of the land three years ago, due mostly to Vernon's health problems, he said.

"We signed with a developer," Vernon said. "He wanted to build roads. It's progress, I suppose, but I don't see much difference.

"I look at this township the way I look at my house. It's 88 years old, built the year before I was born, and it's solid. These old houses have the kind of foundations you just don't see anymore ... like this township."

Paul Levy • 612-673-4419