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Document - Historical information/data - History of Eagan Township and its growth and development in City of Eagan - 1/1/1978 Perhaps the most significant feature in the operation of township government was the annual town meeting. On the second Tuesday in March of each year, the qualified voters of the township met to elect town officials, discuss expenditures for the coming year, and to consider other matters of local concern. The meeting, which typically began at 10:00 a.m., would be called to order by the Town Clerk. A moderator (chairman) for the meeting would then be selected, and after reading the agenda, the polls would be declared open for the election of township officials. Most years, the business taken up at the annual meeting involved little more than reading the minutes of town board meetings held during the past year and deciding on the total amount of township expenditures for the coming year. Township records reveal that other matters discussed during Eagan's earlier years included designating the official places for posting town notices, discussing certain roads that needed improvement, and (prior to 1880) voting on whether livestock should be allowed to run at large. The polls would then remain open until 5:00 p.m., at which time the ballots were counted, with the Board of Supervisors (until more recent years) serving as election judges. A central feature of the annual meeting was the ability of the residents to directly vote on the annual budget. By its nature of providing limited services for a relatively small population, the cost of township government was low. Expenditures were usually divided between General Township purposes and Road and Bridge purposes. Even into the 1940s, the amount provided for general township expenses seldom exceeded $1,000 per year, while the road and bridge expenditure was also close to this amount. L As Eagan's population increased, certain procedural changes were made with regard to the annual meeting. After October 1959, the Board of Supervisors began conducting two regular meetings per month, so that in 1961 the reading of these minutes at the annual meeting was discontinued. The time allowed for voting was extended until 8:00 p.m. in 1957, and in 1962 there were three voting precincts established within the township. Then beginning in 1959; the annual meeting was held during the evening, with a starting time first at 8:00 p.m.,and in later years starting at 9:00 p.m. During the late 1960s, as many as 300 residents would attend the township's annual meeting. For the first several years of the township's existence, the annual town meetings--with few exceptions--were held in the schoolhouse of district #14. Also for quite some time, meetings of the Town Board of Supervisors were not held on a regular basis, and when they did meet it was usually at the school or in the home of one of the officials. It was not until 1892 that the first Town Hall in Eagan was built; it was first used as the polling place for the November presidential election of that year. The building was located on land owned by Michael Shields on the southeast side of the intersection of Lone Oak and Pilot Knob Roads. By 1914, it was decided that a new Town Hall was needed. At the annual meeting on March 10, 1914, a five member committee was appointed to select a site, and $500 was designated for the purchase of land and construction of a new building. However, the Town Board was not satisfied with the committee's recommendation (where the recommended site was is not revealed in the records). It appears that a rivalry existed between Wescott and Nicols, resulting in differing opinions as to where the Town Hall should be. Meanwhile, the original building was destroyed by fire. C The issue was resolved at a special meeting on May 2, 1914, when the Town Board decided to place the new Town Hall as close as possible to the exact center of the township. A parcel of land of about one-third acre in size abutting Pilot Knob Road in the northeast corner of Section 21 was purchased from Michael Englert, Jr. A 26' x 40' frame structure was built by A.J. Ward of Rosemount at a cost,of $1,047. The new building was completed on June 16, 1914, ahd served as the meeting hall and polling place for-the township for the next several decades. For most of its history, the elected officials were able to conduct the minimal amount of day to day business associated with township government. As Eagan's population grew, efforts to provide public services increased. For a time, such work as the grading of roads could be contracted with local f residents or with the county. However, by the late 1960s, it became more economical and effective to hire its own full-time employees. The forerunner of the Eagan Police Department was the elective office of Town Constable. By law, each township had two constables. They were elected annually until 1920, after which time they were elected to two year terms on an alternating basis (although the records indicate there often were vacancies in this position). The duties of the constables were pretty much limited to their being present at the Annual Town Meeting and at all elections, and to serving papers such as warrants issued by the Justice of the Peace. Much of their actual time on duty was spent attempting to settle fence line disputes. Any major criminal acts were handled by the County Sheriff's office. The activities of Eagan constables increased during the 1950s, following the development of a growing number of subdivisions in the town- ship. Regular patroling was begun in 1956, with the constables using their own cars, although they received increased compensation for their police work. Eagan purchased its first police car--a Ford Ranch Wagon-- in 1965, along with an additional amount of Police equipment. Also, two part-time policemen were hired in July of that year, with a full-time police officer hired in December. At the annual town meeting of March, 1966, the township office of constable was abolished, effective March, 1967. And in May, 1966, the full-time position of Chief of Police was established. Martin DesLauriers, who had served as constable since 1954, was appointed Eagan's Chief of Police at that time. During the 1960s, the township purchased more up-to-date equipment for road maintenance. In addition, the public utilities in Eagan were also being expanded. Following the acquisition and inclusion of the Cedar Grove utilities into the Eagan system in the early 1970s, the Public Works Department was organized to handle these operational and maintenance activities. When Eagan was incorporated in 1972, the appointive position of Clerk- Treasurer was created, combining the duties of the two previously elected offices. Alyce Bolke, who had served as township clerk since 1961, was appointed as Clerk-Treasurer for the new village of Eagan. Eagan's governmental organization developed during the 1970s as new personnel were hired. There has been a full time building inspector since 1970. In 1976, a City Administrator was hired by the City Council, and a full-time City Engineer was hired in 1978. The number of police, public works and park maintenance, as well as office and administrative employees, C has gradually increased so that by 191® there were close to %0 full-time employees of the City. For several years prior to 1960, Eagan had contracted firefighting service from Mendota Township for the north half of the township and from Rosemount for the south half. As the number of homes constructed in the Cedar Grove area increased, it was decided that more localized fire protection should be provided. Following an election in January, 1962, a special fire protection district was established for the Cedar Grove area. This did not prove feasible, and in August, 1963, a township-wide fire department was authorized. Shortly before, the first piece of equipment--a 1942 Chevrolet pumper--had been acquired from the University of Minnesota. By December, 1963, a fire station had been completed (Station 1, in the Cedar Grove area). The department officially began operations on April 15, 1964, at first limited to the area south of Yankee Doodle Road between Pilot Knob Road and the Burnsville line. Eventually, new equipment was added and coverage of the township expanded. A second station was constructed in 1972. The department maintains an all-volunteer force of about 70 firefighters. By the 1960s, the need for a modernized town hall was becoming apparent. Additional land adjacent to the existing site had been acquired. However, at the annual meeting in March 1961, voters defeated a proposal to construct a new building. In September 1963, a committee was appointed to study,the question of constructing a new town hall. Because of the proposal to issue $20,000 worth of bonds to finance a large part of the construction, residents again voted on the question, which was approved in May 1964. C. Finished in 1965 at a cost of $28,000, the new town hall included space for meetings, offices, and the safekeeping of records. An addition to the building was constructed in 1968 for use as the meeting hall. The original portion of the town hall was remodeled for offices and to better facilitate police activities. A Public Works garage was constructed in 1969, with an addition built in 1976 to provide increased office and storage-space. During 1978, a new facility for the Eagan Police Department was constructed. Once this area began to develop, the population of Eagan rapidly increased, as shown in the following census statistics: # of Residents 1950 Federal Census 1,185 1960 Federal Census 3,382 1961 Census for Incorporation 4,724 1965 Special Census 6,737 1970 Federal Census 10,398 1977 Special Census 19,276 11130 1 VA4V../ CA..S11S Q017av In 1970, Eagan was the only township in the state with a population over 10,000. The matter of incorporating Eagan as a village was first raised during the early 1960s. On August 22, 1961, the Bloomington City Council initiated action to annex the entire township of Burnsville. This was an extension of Bloomington's desire to have within its boundaries the 159 acre site on which the N.S.P. Blackdog Electrical Generating Plant is located. By state law, a City could annex up to 200 acres of adjacent unincorporated land at the request of the owner. To annex the larger area, Bloomington had to petition the Minnesota Municipal Commission (created in 1959) for approval. Seeking to protect their boundaries (and their tax base), Burnsville residents immediately submitted a separate petition to the MMC for the incorporation of their township. Meanwhile, on September 8, 1961, a temporary restraining order was issued by the courts preventing the annexa- tion of the Blackdog plant until a public hearing was conducted. Upon hearing of the proposed annexation, Eagan and other metropolitan area townships, including Lakeville. and Inver Grove, also petitioned the MMC for incorporation. In January 1962, the MMC denied Bloomington's request to annex all of Burnsville. That same month, a second temporary restraining order was issued which continued to block the Blackdog annexation. And in May 1962, the MMC rejected the individual incorporation requests of the various other townships (including Eagan). A permanent injunction against the annexation of the Blackdog plant was issued in Dakota County District Court on March 7, 1963, but with an appeal by Bloomington, the issue was not settled until April, 1964 when the State Supreme Court decided against the Bloomington action. The Supreme Court decision opened the way for the incorporation of Burnsville. However, when the MMC issued its order to incorporate, dated May 7, 1964, included in the proposed new boundary of Burnsville were portions of Lebanon Township (now Apple Valley) and also that part of Eagan west of Rahn Road. This was most of the Cedar Grove development at the time, and represented the potential loss to Eagan of half its population and a significant portion of its tax base. An election was held on June 16, 1964, whereby the affected residents could vote either for or against incorporation. The election results were 909 to 625 in favor of incorporation, but the vote in Eagan was 519 to 125 against. Based on this information, District Court Judge Robert Breunig c ruled in favor of the incorporation of Burnsville, but excluded from it all of that portion of Eagan and most of Lebanon Township which had previously been included. This action has allowed Eagan to retain its original township boundaries. Although Eagan retained its township form of government throughout the 1960s, it gradually acquired many of the rights previously reserved for incorporated cities. The state law granting village powers to certain townships was amended over the years so that, because of its population and location, Eagan was able to conduct much of its business in a manner similar to that of a village. This included the right to receive certain state aids and having the authority for land use zoning and the maintenance of streets and utilities. In addition, the Town Board, with John Klein as chairman, initiated a number of special laws in the state legislature aimed at allowing the township government to function, even though Eagan was becoming increasingly urbanized.