• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Bloomfield taking another shot at incorporation

Photo

Tony DiNicola

Bloomfield Township

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Officials in Bloomfield Township are planning another petition to incorporate part of the township into a village, less than four months after the state rejected it last proposal.

Town Chairman Ken Monroe said Tuesday that 75 to 100 signatures are needed before another petition can be presented to the state Department of Administration. The area has made five unsuccessful attempts at incorporation since 1992, two in the last two years.

The town improved its chances this time by shrinking the proposed incorporation boundaries by about 3,500 acres. Property north of Bloomfield Road and northeast of Hafs and Eastside roads were cut. Monroe said farmland west of County H also was removed.

The state board rejected Bloomfield’s proposal last year based on the geographic size and impact incorporation would have on other parts of the township. The board concluded incorporation would divide the township into four pieces, harming “community identity and (making) service provisions more difficult.”

The 2009 proposal sought to incorporate nearly 12,000 acres. The latest plan calls for about 8,375 acres.

Another problem is Lake Geneva and Genoa City intervened against petitions in 2008 and 2009. Bloomfield officials attempted to reach a resolution with both communities, but Monroe said Lake Geneva keeps altering its requests for where boundaries should be drawn.

Lake Geneva and Genoa City officials told the state board they didn’t oppose incorporation but objected to the size of Bloomfield’s proposal.

If the town files by Oct. 12, the state board will consider waiving the fee for a new petition.

About 400 residents signed the 2009 petition. If a new request is approved, neighboring communities could not annex incorporated portions of Bloomfield.

In the Incorporation Review Board’s latest decision, it recommended the town file a new petition after land boundaries are redrawn.

Monroe wasn’t sure how quickly the proposal could be scheduled for a public hearing. The town still is waiting for the state Department of Administration to conduct its latest tax evaluation, he said.