There is a lot of variation in what is being said about dollars to be spent, who will spend it, and how much the city will commit to the non-specific term of “shovel ready” which has been darting around like an anxious Halloween ghost!

LWV members will need to be on their toes and insist on implementation of best management practices throughout this ongoing debate (?) and especially in the areas of transparency and citizen input.

This annexation has the possibility of having huge impact on Northfield’s future, and it must be handled in a way that is thoughtfully in line with the best outcomes for both ‘the city’ and the agricultural lands that surround us.

We have a chance to do it right, enable our Greenways Corridor Plan, and provide SOME additional land for smart technology business development.

So far, the discussions have not been policy driven except for the expansion of tax base. That cannot be the only goal, especially in the current economic climate; the goals must be more broad; not based solely on land /taxes/ industrial development.