Shelby, La Crosse still negotiating boundary after self-imposed April deadline

Sides have been talking for 2.5 years and now 
have big turnover in council and board members.

A self-imposed April deadline to get a Shelby-La Crosse boundary agreement approved has come and gone.

The two sides are still negotiating and it’s a little tougher now with significant turnover on the city council and one new member on the town board.

Shelby town board chair Tim Candahl agrees it will take a little work to get all of the new representatives up to speed on the agreement that’s two and half years in the making.

“The city council would probably be the one that would have to be brought up to a little bit more on speed to what’s going on,” Candahl said. “I don’t think it’s going to take much once we get going on negotiations. I feel we’re close.

“We’re just still kind of deciding where the boundary line’s going to go. We’ve been at it for almost 2.5 years now. I feel like we’ve got it down to where it’s going to be moving forward here shortly.”

At stake in the boundary agreement are the actual boundaries between Shelby and La Crosse, as well as the future of sewer services and library use.

It will also address the issues about sharing revenue between the two municipalities and allowable developments outside of city boundaries, among several other topics.

Both sides had hoped to have an agreement approved prior to having a big turnover in council and board members.