by Chloe SmithAPG of East Central Minnesota/Union-TimesThe wait for the decision regarding Baldwin Township’s petition to incorporate and become a city is over.In the morning of Tuesday, July 16, Administrative Law Judge Jessica A. Palmer-Denig announced her final decision regarding the township’s petition, granting the request.By granting the request, Baldwin Township will officially begin transitioning to become the City of Baldwin.To grant the request, Baldwin was required to prove to the judge that the township had met the requirements listed in the Minnesota state statute to be incorporated into a city.The judge then reviewed a request from the City of Princeton that stated the city would like to be granted approximately 10,000 acres of land that borders Baldwin and Princeton.Palmer-Denig ultimately chose to deny Princeton’s land request, meaning those acres of land will remain with Baldwin as a city.Baldwin presented its case to Judge Palmer-Denig during a hearing on March 7, but the decision to start the process began back in December 2023 when the Baldwin Township Board voted to approve a resolution that acted as the formal petition to the state for incorporation.During the March hearing, the judge heard cases from Baldwin, the City of Princeton, and took public comments on the matter. Based on the information gleaned from said hearing, the judge made the final decision.In receiving this news, Baldwin Township released a statement to the Union-Times regarding the judge’s decision to grant the incorporation. The full statement is included below.Baldwin Township issued the following statement after the decision was made.“Today (Tuesday, July 16), more than two decades of hard work, determination, study and public participation has resulted in the imminent creation of Minnesota’s newest city, the City of Baldwin.“The Baldwin Township Board is pleased to announce that the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings issued a decision this morning authorizing Baldwin Township to incorporate as the City of Baldwin. The 20-plus years of carefully creating the policies, ordinances and governmental structure necessary to bring forth the City of Baldwin have come to fruition with the issuance of Judge Jessica Palmer-Denig’s order incorporating Baldwin Township.“The Township would like to thank the residents of Baldwin Township for providing the Town Board the resources, support, commitment and faith necessary to pursue incorporation, without which this day would never have been possible. The Township would also like to thank Judge Jessica Palmer-Denig for a well-reasoned and well-resourced decision, and for so skillfully presiding over an emotional and energetic public hearing at which approximately 700 Township residents were in attendance to voice their concerns for the future of their community.“The Baldwin Town Board looks forward to the residents of Baldwin Township governing themselves as the City of Baldwin in the same tradition of self-reliance, public participation and responsive local government that has been the hallmark of Baldwin Township for so many decades.”
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