The Albert Lea City Council on Monday approved the first reading of an ordinance that would annex 25 acres of land in Bancroft Township into the city limits. The land is owned by Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services with plans to construct a new $20 million headquarters.

The company in August submitted a petition for annexation to the city for their property, which is directly north of the Freeborn County highway shop off of Freeborn County Road 22. Presently, the Crossroads Church and Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea properties have been annexed into the city on the west side of Freeborn County Road 22; otherwise, nothing on the east side of the road north of Interstate 90 has been annexed.

The annexation request is in place to allow Freeborn-Mower’s new site to connect to city sewer and water services.

Bancroft Township Supervisor Steve Overgaard during a public hearing before the regular council meeting questioned communication by both city and Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services leaders regarding the issue.

“It feels like we as a township and as township residents have been dismissed and ignored through this process,” Overgaard said.

During the public forum of the meeting, Overgaard said though the township would have preferred Freeborn-Mower Cooperative find a more suitable site for its new building, he recognizes it is committed to build on the site. He said township officials wanted an opportunity to develop a plan with the company so it could build in the township, but to do that Freeborn-Mower would have to withdraw its petition for annexation.

Overgaard has previously questioned how the annexation of the property into the city would benefit the township and questioned why one of the other available sites in Albert Lea could not have been used instead. The site last year paid about $600 in taxes — $68 of which was to the township, said Albert Lea City Manager David Todd.

Had the township approved an orderly annexation, the township could have received the value of five years of lost tax revenue. However, because the annexation is being approved by ordinance that will not be the case.

Todd said negotiations with the township fell apart because the township requested more than what the city was Iegally able to give in the circumstances.

Overgaard said his proposals were only starting points and said he would have agreed to smaller amounts than initially proposed.

The second reading of the ordinance is expected to come before the council at the next council meeting.

Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services President and CEO Jim Krueger said if the second reading is approved, the cooperative plans to break ground on the new 97,000-square foot building in May with construction expected to take about 12 months.

Look to Wednesday’s edition of the Tribune for more information from the Monday meeting.