County deals with ordinances
Progress was made on Tuesday, Nov. 15, as the Le Sueur County Board held a public hearing and a post-meeting workshop to deal with two very different ordinances.
In consideration of public comment via written letters and spoken word with supporting graphics and a folder full of 63 completed petition requests, the Board unanimously approved of a petition process for the creation of a subordinate service district to provide sanitary sewer service to a portion of West Jefferson Lake in western Le Sueur County.
Inclusion in the new district will be 100 percent voluntary. West Jefferson Lake residents and parcel owners who wish to be included in the new subordinate district with a maximum capacity of 140 connections, must complete a petition form available online at www.co.le-sueur.mn.us. Completed petitions will be accepted by the Le Sueur County Administrator between Nov. 15 and Jan. 1, 2017.
Following adjournment of their regular board meeting, the Commissioners held a workshop with legal counsel and representatives from County law enforcement and Planning and Zoning Department. The group discussed the proposed Designated Predatory Offender Residency Restriction Ordinance, working to sort out the details and their concerns. The ordinance had been brought forth to the Board on Tuesday, Oct. 4 by a group of concerned Kasota Township residents. A public hearing for the ordinance was held on Tuesday, Nov. 1, after which the Board tabled the issue.
The proposed ordinance would apply only to Level III offenders. Although a number of Minnesota cities and towns, including three of Le Sueur County's municipalities, have adopted ordinances pertaining to residency restrictions for designated predatory offenders, Chisago County is the only Minnesota County to have such an ordinance. If the ordinance is adopted by the Board, Le Sueur County would be the second.
The group's in-depth discussion, covered topics ranging from Constitutionality to public safety versus perceived public safety. The group reached a consensus to exclude the County's incorporated municipalities from the ordinance. The County Attorney's office will work on incorporating discussed wording changes into the proposed ordinance, and the Commissioners will address the ordinance once again at the Nov. 22 Le Sueur County Board Meeting.
