• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Bloomfield meets incorporation deadline

Photo

Photo

Ken Monroe

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Bloomfield's latest shot at incorporation could face fewer objections from neighboring communities after town officials shed nearly 3,700 acres from its proposal.

Town Chairman Ken Monroe said Monday he forwarded the application to the county for review last week—10 days before its Dec. 30 filing deadline. The town was required to obtain a petition with 75 signatures, and Monroe said he received about 82.

Bloomfield has made five unsuccessful attempts since 1992 to incorporate from a town into a village. Its last try this summer was rejected after the state Department of Administration determined the 12,000-acre proposal was too large.

Another problem was objection petitions from Lake Geneva and Genoa City, which both told the state they stood only against the size of incorporation. Monroe said he doesn't expect any interference from Genoa City this time, but Lake Geneva's position is unclear.

The state Incorporation Review Board recommended the town reapply with smaller boundaries. It said previous plans would have divided the area into four pieces, harming "community identity and (making) service provisions more difficult."

Now that the boundaries are pulled in, chances might be as good as ever for the petition to succeed. Even so, Monroe remains cautious.

"The last two times I thought we had a good chance," he said. "So this time I'll back off and just say, 'I hope.'"

The new proposal seeks to incorporate about 8,375 acres, an area 30 percent smaller than the proposal rejected last summer. If approved, neighboring communities would no longer be able to annex land in Bloomfield.

The state board ruled earlier this year Bloomfield wouldn't have to pay the $20,000 application fee if it filed papers by Oct. 12. That deadline was extended to Dec. 30 once the town displayed that it was serious about changing its plan, Monroe said.

If the town had been forced to pay another fee, it's unlikely it would come back for another try, Monroe said.

A Walworth County judge must clear the application before it's forwarded to the state. That could come in January or February.