Detachment option will again be offered to affected landowners
By Heather Ruenz
Editor
Standard Process, Inc.’s desire to have its entire operation in the Village of Palmyra took another step forward Monday night when the Palmyra Village Board voted to accept an annexation petition from the company.
Prior to the vote, in the meeting room at the Village Hall, which was at maximum capacity, the board revisited the detachment letter that had been previously sent to landowners affected by the annexation.
“I would like the board to say whether or not they still agree with the offer to detach,” Village President Dave Turner said. That led to a discussion among board members including the clarification that the Palmyra Town Board would have to accept a boundary agreement for the detachment option to be viable.
“We’re willing to do it but unless the town says, ‘We’ll take them (the property owners) back,’ we can’t detach them because they have nowhere to go,” Village Trustee Bill Lurvey explained.
Carol Calkins, the wife of former Palmyra Town Chairman, Stewart Calkins, asked the Village Board, “Why do you want to take it and then give it back?”
“The state says it has to be proposed as contiguous and homogenous, but can then be detached. We have to accept the annexation as proposed before we can accept detachment requests,” Turner replied.
“It (the annexation) can’t be a balloon on a string. You can take a square and then change it to a balloon on a string with a boundary agreement between the village and the town,” Lurvey added.
The board agreed to offer the detachment option to the affected landowners, if the village accepts the annexation and the town agrees.
As to whether or not to accept the petition – basically agreeing to consider an ordinance within 120 days of the date it was filed – that motion passed 5-1 with Village Trustee Chris Mueller voting against it and Trustee Frank Kostopoulos abstaining.
Earlier in the meeting during public forum, nearly 15 spoke regarding the annexation; the large majority of them, including village and town residents as well as Standard Process employees, in favor of it.
Village resident Julie Powell kicked off the public speaking portion of the meeting by asking the board to “say, ‘We welcome you, not go away.’ I worry if Standard Process doesn’t get this, they’ll leave.”
Rick Martin, a village resident, employee of Standard Process and former small business owner, told the board accepting the annexation is a “win-win-win situation,” with more jobs and tax base, local jobs for local residents and continued support of local businesses.
Several Standard Process employees spoke about the good things the company does in the community.
“It was Standard Process who stepped up to the plate when a local child was being abused and needed a safe haven. Also, continuously supporting the local fire department, police department, clubs and organizations,” Karren Jeske, corporate communications manager for Standard Process, said.
“More than 60 percent of the company’s employees live within 25 miles of Palmyra. The small benefits of a few should not outweigh the great benefits for many,” Jeske added.
Annie Gentil, also a Standard Process employee, told the board that accepting the annexation “means Standard Process will be committed to you for the long haul.”
Gentil, who said she drives nearly 88 miles round trip to work in Palmyra, said she has spent tens of thousands of dollars in the community during her 14-year tenure with the company.
“If not for Standard Process, I would not have had coffee in your coffee shops, meals at local restaurants, a beer in your local bars or bought gas from your local gas stations,” Gentil said.
Other employees also spoke of their ties to the community, including Mark Peterson, who said the waitresses at Squidy’s know how he likes his fish dinner Friday nights and he frequently stops at Jim & Judy’s and the hardware store.
“My son joined the Panthers traveling soccer league last year. We love going to the beach and library here and the coffee shop for a scoop of ice cream,” Peterson said.
Mary Beth Schmidt, the daughter of Stewart and Carol Calkins, shared the other side of the proposed annexation with those present.
“I’m here to put a face with the land. I picked rocks and mustard seed and planted trees on our land,” Schmidt said. “We feel threatened and don’t feel a lot of support or have much reprieve. It’s not just about profits; there are people who love their land.”
Village resident Scott Sweno addressed the land as well, but from a different perspective.
“Town people say we’re taking their land away,” Sweno said. He then looked to the board and asked, “Have you told them they can’t farm anymore? No, you haven’t. All you’re doing is helping the village out by annexing land. People are still going to own their own property, no one is taking it away.”
“We’re people who are town residents and want to pay taxes to the town,” Carol Calkins said.
Village Clerk Laurie Mueller, speaking as a resident and taxpayer, told the board they have one responsibility.
“Your job is to do what’s best for village residents. It’s not your job to protect the town or the town residents,” Mueller said. “If we don’t grow, people are going to leave here and property taxes will go up.”
The annexation issue recently came to the forefront again following the state Department of Administration’s recent opinion that the annexation is in the public interest, mainly because the village will be able to immediately provide water and sewer services to the company’s farming operation.
“The letter from the DOA confirms what we believed all along – that once people understood all of the relevant facts, they, too, would conclude that this is in the best interest of the community,” Jeske said.
Attempts to reach current Palmyra Town Chairman Larry Kau for comments prior to deadline for this issue were unsuccessful.
