County board approves Goodwill annexation

GILBERT- “This is a difficult, difficult decision,” said St. Louis County Commissioner Paul McDonald. “When it comes to a decision like this, my father told me one thing that has stuck with me. ‘When it’s tough, trust your gut.’”
The Greenwood Township officials in the audience of the public hearing at the Nov. 10 St. Louis County Board meeting at Gilbert City Hall quickly realized that they were not going to be happy with McDonald’s gut. Since the issue was based in McDonald’s part of the county, he appeared to be leading the board’s decision-making.
County attorney Kim Maki had reminded commissioners at the start of the public hearing that the decision to approve or deny the annexation request should be based on whether it is “necessary or expedient.”
“That is the standard,” she said.
After the close of the public hearing, McDonald noted this was more than a property tax issue.
“We spend so much time focused on revenue and taxes,” he said. “There is more to this picture.”
For McDonald, the issue that tipped the scales in favor of approving the annexation petition was the sense of community for the residents in question.
“I really appreciate all the communications I received, and it was a lot…phone calls, emails, and visits.”
“There is a lot of history here. When people don’t have that sense of community, they lose something,” he said. “This area aligns with this community- Goodwill Township and Cook. They align with that end of the lake.”
McDonald said he had friends on both sides of the issue, but “my gut tells me we need to approve the petition.” The vote shortly followed, and the decision was unanimous, with one commissioner sitting out the vote since he had missed the initial public hearing in September, and retiring commissioner Keith Nelson not in attendance.
The decision followed about an hour of public comment where public officials and residents on both sides of the issue got a chance to speak. Tuesday’s public hearing on the question was a continuation of an earlier hearing on the subject, held back in September.
Goodwill Town Board Chair John Jordan spoke about the geographic realities. “These parcels are closer to the city of Cook via roads,” he noted. “This would benefit our residents.”
Greenwood Town Board Chair Paul Thompson said such an annexation would open a Pandora’s box. He said those submitting the petition have “stumbled for seven months for their reasons. The truth is they want to move 100s of seasonal parcels into the Cook Hospital District.”
“They view these parcels as easy money,” Thompson said. “This is not how to support our local hospital.”
“We are putting township against township,” he said, adding that Greenwood was ready to engage in discussions about funding the hospital and emergency services.
Greenwood Supervisor Steve Bradach talked about a fire in Linden Grove Township the day before. “Who did they [Cook Fire] call?” he asked. “Greenwood, and Greenwood came.”
“I still can’t figure out how 20 households can grab 400-plus parcels?” Bradach said. “How do they have the right to do that?”
“I am asking you to deny this petition,” Bradach said. “It should be about services, not about whether you want to be part of the Cook community.”
Other residents and people associated with both townships also spoke.
Matt Clines, an owner of Timbuktu Marina, said his business is located in the main hub of this debate.
“The lake is a geographical nightmare for everyone,” he said. “You have to accept it.” He said his customers are all connected to the Cook community.
“Our community all flows towards Cook,” he said. “We want to support the hospital.”
Pam Olson, the clerk of Goodwill, noted that many of these Greenwood residents need to drive through Goodwill Township to go vote at Greenwood Town Hall.
“The residents are asking to join the community they are already a part of, and logistically close to,” she said.
A major issue for many in the annexation area is the fact that Goodwill Township is part of the Cook Area Healthcare District, which has an annual levy to support the hospital and emergency services. Greenwood is not a part of the district.
Tax implications
The hospital district levy is projected to add $114 for every $100,000 in taxable market value for Greenwood property owner being annexed into Goodwill, though the township levy would go down by $16, for a net increase of $98 per $100,000 of valuation.
The annexation will increase the local tax burden on the remaining Greenwood residents by about one percent, or $13 per $100,000 of taxable market value. Goodwill residents will see a decrease of $38 on their levy and $9 on the hospital district, for a total net decrease of $47 per $100,000 of taxable market value.
Any tax changes would not go into effect for the 2027 township levies, which were voted on at the 2026 annual meetings. County officials said they would be in contact with the two townships about when any changes would go into effect.
These estimates, the county said, do not account for any future changes in property valuations or certified levies.
At the end of this portion of the meeting, commissioners commended all involved, and said they hoped that both townships will continue to work together on issues around public health and safety and keep lines of communication open.