A Verona Township zoning ordinance, in place since 1999, will continue to be in force for the foreseeable future.

The township board did not repeal the ordinance at their monthly meeting held before a full house last Monday night in Huntley.

A motion to repeal the ordinance was made by board member Neal Mensing, but it died for lack of a second.

The action came after the township board had held a one-hour hearing before the regular meeting began.

More than a dozen of the 44 township residents in attendance spoke against the idea of repealing the ordinance. One resident did speak in support of repealing the ordinance.

The Verona Township Board members explained in a handout at the hearing that they have been considering abolishing the ordinance since 2013.

Their reasons were that a new Faribault County Zoning Ordinance is very similar to theirs, and the county has trained professionals to effectively administer, monitor and enforce the planning and zoning regulations, while the township does not.

The board also had a concern there could be legal challenges to their ordinance, and that a potential lawsuit could consume their financial resources. Faribault County commissioner Greg Young presented a petition to the board that had been signed by 127 Verona Township residents who were opposed to repealing the ordinance.

Young also stated that he thought there was more of a possibility of a potential lawsuit with repealing the ordinance than with keeping it.

At issue is the fact that the Verona Township zoning ordinance is more restrictive for location of things such as hog barns and feedlots, than is the county zoning ordinance.

Township resident Nancy Peterson said her research showed that 400 of Minnesota’s 1,800 townships have some type of zoning ordinance.

“And only one of those has ever repealed their ordinance,” she said. “And I contacted three other townships and none of them have had any issues with their ordinance or had the ordinance cost them anything.”

Peterson was also concerned with issues of smell with feedlots being able to be too close to residences and the fact property values could be affected.

Mike McNerney was one of many who spoke against the possible repealing of the township ordinance.

McNerney is president of the board of the Riverside Town & Country Golf Club which is located in Verona Township.

“We are vehemently against any change in this ordinance,” he told the board. “Any change in the ordinance could seriously jeopardize our business.”

Many other residents spoke concerning not wanting any change, as it could mean more feedlots closer to residential areas. Several said they felt the ordinance has been in place since 1999 and they could see no reason to change it.

After the meeting was adjourned and the board had not repealed the ordinance, two of the board members addressed the citizens present at the meeting.

Township board member Doug Hill said he was not sure they should not have repealed it, but was not willing to second the motion to do so.

“I guess we needed a better organized argument about why we should do it,” he said. “I respectfully disagree with all of you who think it needed to be kept in place.”

Darwin Olson, another board member, also said he was favoring repealing the ordinance but did not second the motion.

“This is the toughest issue we have had to deal with,” he said. “We work hard at what we have to do (as township board members) and we try to do the best for the township, all of the township.”