Letters To The Editor
March 17, 2010 Edition

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor,
I attended the public hearing on Monday night regarding the proposed tax abatement for the Oppidan development and walked away a bit dismayed.
Our mayor and city council seem to think that we have no leverage in this matter and that if we don’t go along with Oppidan’s demands, we will lose out on a huge opportunity to bring a new business to town. Excuse me, but I believe we have the ultimate leverage and that is that if Coborns wants to do business in Belle Plaine, they have to build in Belle Plaine.
You do not seriously think that they are going to spend millions of dollars on a project that will hinge on a $24,000 per year tax break do you? It makes more sense to me that from the results of their business model they are confident they can do well in this city and just decided to go fishing for a little extra. And we, being the pushovers we are (I think somebody at Oppidan has been talking to somebody at MnDOT), took the bait.
For those of you keeping score:
City Slickers…….2 (don’t forget MnDOT)
Hayseed City Council…….0
P.S. Let’s not forget the slap in the face you are giving the existing business people in this town who somehow are cunning enough to pay taxes and still manage to stay in business.
P.S.S. Just out of curiosity, has anyone asked Coborns that if Oppidan would pull out because of an abatement denial, would they (Coborns) consider using a different developer?

Paul Stienessen

To the Editor,
I want to address the issue of who is on our side when it comes to the CapX power line and eminent domain.
I was dismayed to read an article in the March 3 issue of the Belle Plaine Herald on the subject, Bly, Brod Come Together on Eminent Domain Bill. In this article, Craig Poorker, manager of land right of way for the CapX project is referred to several times. According to this article, Poorker said ‘CapX is working with the legislature on the drafting of the final legislation… “They make it sound as though they are working in favor of this legislation, but nothing could be farther from the truth.”
The eminent domain legislation will rescind the preferential treatment given to these large corporations pushing their transmission corridors through our area time and time again. I firmly believe passage of this amendment will provide landowners with a more appropriate settlement for the decades the utility companies benefit from the corridor through your property while they regularly inspect and make repairs after installation.
Citizens of Belle Plaine: I feel there is a distinct possibility the CapX line may be sited through your area as the Le Sueur area had a very strong and organized effort opposing the Le Sueur river crossing. I also believe the MinnCan and CapX utility projects may not be the last ones to use our land for their projects. Our local legislators are with us on this issue; Rep. David Bly and Rep. Laura Brod have introduced the amendment in the house and Sen. Kevin Dahle has introduced it in the Senate. We need to contact more members of the house and senate asking for their support of these amendments. You can find much information on the state legislature Web site www.leg.state.mn.us . The bills are HF1182 and in the senate SF1112
I found the following information while tracking the bill in the house: HF1182 was heard and passed in the house Civil Justice committee on March 3. The meeting minutes state Rep. Bly presented the bill. Attorneys Paula Maccabee and Rod Krass testified in favor of the bill. Rick Evans representing Xcel Energy of Minneapolis testified against the bill. Xcel is a 72 percent owner of the CapX line. They are working on the eminent domain bill in the legislature but to have it defeated, not in the landowners favor. CapX stands to gain a significant financial windfall by taking advantage of landowners and making low ball offers. That’s been their goal since day 1.
We need to ensure this amendment does get passed.

Theresa Ruhland
New Prague