The group of citizens pushing for a referendum on the annexation of 55 acres of land got two more signatures from Fay and Florence Saman Thursday night.

Friday, June 16, 2000

The group of citizens pushing for a referendum on the annexation of 55 acres of land got two more signatures from Fay and Florence Saman Thursday night.

That brought their counted total to 702. To get a referendum on the November ballot, they need 972 signatures by June 29.

No sweat. Organizer Mike Pratt expects to have at least 1,100 signatures by Monday evening.

"I told (City Clerk) Lucy Johnson that I would probably turn these in Monday," he said, indicating the pile of papers on the table in front of him at a Thursday night meeting of the referendum faithful. "I don’t think we’ll have any problem with not having enough. There are plenty that we still have to get from people out of town and on vacation."

So far, members have gone door to door collecting signatures and have canvassed at OakPark Mall, Hy-Vee Food Store and other businesses in the community. The group opposes the annexation of the 55 acres because developers want to make the land – now farmland with a serious erosion problem – into a housing development. Those opposing the annexation would like to see the land turned into a natural habitat for wildlife, in keeping with the J.C. Hormel Nature Center across the street. The Austin City Council approved the annexation by ordinance at its May 15 meeting, but the intent to petition for referendum effectively put that ordinance on hold.

"I’ve never had a job so easy," core group member Vernon Gavin said. "I think I had three people turn me down."

Bill Rollie, who is in charge of the group’s phone tree, stressed that the petitions for referendum are exactly that: an effort to give the voting public a say in the matter of the controversial annexation of 55 acres of land just west of the nature center.

"People who signed, signed because they thought it should be a decision of the people to make, not necessarily because they were for or against the annexation," he said.

Several of the 12 who turned out on a wet Thursday night for the meeting asked what would happen once the signatures were in.

An organized public education campaign and a booth at the fair were two suggestions. Morning television was a third, prefaced by the observation that David Wellstone, who is part of the development group that wants to build homes on the 55 acres, has already been on the local TV.

Today, Wellstone said he and his partners are waiting for confirmation that the referendum will take place before they escalate their efforts to reach the voting public. So far the developers have passed out what Wellstone called fact sheets about the development.

"We’ll get the word out as to what exactly this project is," he said, adding that they are planning to build a model home before the election so voters can see what would be built on the property. "I have no doubt we will win this referendum once we present our side of the story."

Once the city clerk receives 972 signatures of registered voters, the referendum will be a certainty. City officials have indicated that the referendum – the first since 1988 – probably will be held with the general election in November.