[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Fairfax 8-11-2015. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Pursuant to the authority granted by Minn. Stat. § 272.67,
the City of Fairfax hereby divides the area within its municipal limits
into an Urban Service District and a Rural Service District constituting
separate taxing districts for the purpose of all municipal property
taxes except those levied for the payment of bonds and judgments and
interest thereon.
The Urban Service District shall include all land within the
boundaries of the City of Fairfax which are not included in the Rural
Service District established under this chapter.
A.
The Rural Service District shall include only such unplatted lands,
which need not be contiguous to one another, as in the judgment of
the City Council at the time of adoption of this chapter are rural
in character; are not developed for commercial, industrial, or urban
residential purposes; are more than 2.5 acres in area; abut the township
boundary on at least one side or are adjacent to such a parcel; and
are not benefitted to the same degree as other lands by municipal
services financed by general taxation.
B.
The City Council may in the future, by amendment to this chapter,
designate that other lands (including lands outside the City of Fairfax
which, if annexed) shall be included within the Rural Service District.
The following lands are designated to be included in the Rural
Service District of the City of Fairfax.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The listing of the designated lands is on file
in the City offices.
Whenever any parcel of land, owned by one person or by two or
more persons jointly or in common at the time of its inclusion in
the Rural Service District, is platted, in whole or in part, and whenever
application is made for a permit for the construction of a commercial,
industrial, or urban residential development or improvement to be
situated on such parcel or any part thereof, the board or officer
approving such plat or building permit shall report this to the City
Council, which shall make and enter a resolution transferring such
parcel from the Rural Service District to the Urban Service District.
The term "improvement" shall include the provision of municipal services
such as sewer, water, streets, or the like. Grading of land shall
not be considered as an improvement, providing that such grading is
limited to that required to minimize water drainage problems, and
further provided that such graded areas are placed into agricultural
use or reseeded within one year.
A.
It is the judgment of the City Council that the approximate ratio
that exists between the benefits resulting from the tax-supported
municipal services to parcels of land of like market value, situated
in the Rural Service District and in the Urban Service District, respectively,
is 21:50, and a benefit ratio of 21:50 is hereby established.
[Amended 1-12-2021 by Ord. No. 429]
B.
Taxes levied for payments of bonds and judgments and interest thereon
shall be in addition to such tax.
C.
The benefit ratio may be changed by amendment to this chapter; however,
in no event shall the tax rate for the Rural Service District be less
than what the tax rate for such parcel would be if taxed by the adjacent
township to which the parcel is located.
Each year the City Council shall:
Except for fire, police and planning services, the City of Fairfax
will provide no other services to the lands in the Rural Service District
beyond those customarily provided by the adjacent township to which
the lands are located.
