NEWS
Madison could see expansion
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by Aubre Andrus
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
The Madison Plan Commission approved an agreement Monday night with the town of Blooming Grove to change city boundaries and gradually incorporate Blooming Grove into Madison’s East Side by 2027.
According to Ald. Judy Compton, whose district 16 encompasses the unincorporated Blooming Grove, the resolution was approved quickly and will now be voted on by the city council Feb. 1.
George Twigg, spokesperson for Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said the mayor supports this agreement and said it will allow an orderly strategy for development on the East Side of Madison.
“Instead of annexing bits and pieces of Blooming Grove, we can do it in a more organized way and plan our growth better,” Twigg said. “It will benefit both the city and the town and especially the people who live in that community.”
Mike Wolf, deputy clerk treasurer of Blooming Grove, said because the town is unincorporated, it is at a disadvantage for annexation laws. Since the towns founding more than 150 years ago, adjoining cities and towns have annexed parts of the town, shrinking Blooming Grove geographically and decreasing their tax base, he added.
“Basically, if we don’t do anything, the towns very existence is at risk,” Wolf said. “There is going to become a point in time when the town won’t be able to economically exist.”
If the agreement is approved by the city council in February, it must then be approved by the state through a complicated process, Wolf said. If each step passes, the town of Blooming Grove will cease to exist Oct. 31, 2027.
Wolf said most residents would not notice a difference if the agreement is passed because their taxes, which are considerably lower than the city, would not increase until 2027.
Compton said she is delighted about the agreement because for more than 40 years previous annexations have left many small areas of Blooming Grove within Madison.
“We have so many little islands in the city that are Blooming Grove that people don’t even realize are Blooming Grove,” Compton said. “It’s time that they were brought in.”
When Blooming Grove undergoes an annexation, the town also has to take on the expenses, Compton said.
Compton said she would like to see the chance for Blooming Grove roads to be brought up to city of Madison standards within the next five years in the agreement. Certain roads in the district are patched by the city four times a year, she added.
Compton said she believes if new regions are going to be considered a part of Madison, they should be held up to city standards.
According to Compton, her constituents in Blooming Grove approve of the annexation, although there was some upheaval in the beginning. Compton said the proposal was kept under wraps for a long time and was made public only one week before the town made an official announcement Jan. 6.
“When [the citizens] heard about it, they had some points they wanted to make, so we had a very short noticed meeting,” Compton said. “Attorney [Jim] Voss explained the contract with them.”
The agreement would also extend Madison city water and sewer services, as well as the city’s storm water system, to residents of Blooming Grove.
