414.06 Detachment of property from a municipality.
Subdivision 1. Initiating the proceeding. Property which is situated within a municipality and abutting the municipal boundary, rural in character and not developed for urban residential, commercial, or industrial purposes may be detached from the municipality according to the following procedure. The proceeding may be initiated by submitting to the director a resolution of the municipality to which the land is attached or by submitting to the director a petition of all of the property owners of the land to be detached if the area is less than 40 acres or of 75 percent of the property owners if over 40 acres. The petition or resolution shall set forth the boundaries and the area of the land to be detached, the number and character of the buildings, the resident population, and the municipal improvements, if any, in the area.
Subd. 2. Hearing, if needed. If both a resolution of the municipality and a petition by all the property owners are submitted, no hearing is necessary. In any other case, upon receipt of a petition or resolution, the director shall designate a time and place for a hearing in accordance with section 414.09.
Subd. 3. Order. Upon completion of the hearing, the director may order the detachment on finding that the requisite number of property owners have signed the petition if initiated by the property owners, that the property is rural in character and not developed for urban residential, commercial or industrial purposes, that the property is within the boundaries of the municipality and abuts a boundary, that the detachment would not unreasonably affect the symmetry of the detaching municipality, and that the land is not needed for reasonably anticipated future development. The director may deny the detachment on finding that the remainder of the municipality cannot continue to carry on the functions of government without undue hardship. The director may decrease the area of property to be detached and may include only a part of the proposed area to be detached. If the tract abuts more than one township, it shall become a part of each township, being divided by projecting through it the boundary line between the townships. The detached area may be relieved of the primary responsibility for existing indebtedness of the municipality and be required to assume the indebtedness of the township of which it becomes a part, in such proportion as the director shall deem just and equitable having in view the amount of taxes due and delinquent and the indebtedness of each township and the municipality affected, if any, and for what purpose the same was incurred, all in relation to the benefit inuring to the detached area as a result of the indebtedness and the last net tax capacity of the taxable property in each township and municipality.
Subd. 4. Effective date of detachment. The detachment shall be effective upon the issuance of the order, or at such later date, as provided by the order.
Subd. 5. Copy to county auditors. A copy of the detachment order must be delivered immediately by the director to the appropriate county auditors.
Subd. 6. Timing of tax levy. For the purposes of taxation, if the detachment becomes effective on or before August 1 of a levy year, the towns acquiring the detached area may levy on it beginning with that same levy year. If the detachment becomes effective after August 1 of a levy year, the municipality may continue to levy on the detached area for that levy year, and the towns acquiring the detached area may not levy on it until the following levy year.
HIST: 1959 c 686 s 6; 1961 c 645 s 6; 1963 c 807 s 11; 1965 c 899 s 15; 1969 c 1146 s 15; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1978 c 705 s 24; 1988 c 719 art 5 s 84; 1989 c 329 art 13 s 20; 1991 c 291 art 12 s 25; 2002 c 223 s 18
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes