Prior Lake City Council members again stopped short of making decisions on a major road extension Monday, opting to change the city’s approach in negotiating an agreement with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
City Manager Frank Boyles said talks on a joint agreement for the extension of Stemmer Ridge Road to County Road 82 “have made progress, but we have a lot of areas we still need to work on.”
To date, city staff has taken concerns to tribal staff members, who have reported to the Tribal Business Council, which has reported back to their staff, and so on, said Boyles.
To “cut out the middle man a little bit,” Boyles suggested (and the council later appointed) Mayor Ken Hedberg and Council Member Richard Keeney to represent the city’s “team of negotiators.”
Boyles said the idea came from Tribal Administrator Bill Rudnicki. City leaders have suggested that there are “sticking points” in their negotiations with the SMSC. The council put decisions on hold earlier in January as well, citing the need for legal clarification on land uses. The tribe intends to apply to place into trust status the 95-acre piece of land it owns near Stemmer Ridge. Please read more from the Prior Lake American