local government

The Fight for Local Control Goes Local; Anti-Local Control Bill Passes off MN House Floor

March 29, 2012
Brian DeVore
agriculture, Food and Sustainable Agriculture, Loon Commons blog
county government, factory farms, HF 389, local control, local democracy, local government, rural development, sand fracing, SF 270, township government

By Bobby King, Land Stewardship Project Some lawmakers in St. Paul are turning a deaf ear to an important fact: local control is a key tool for Minnesota cities, townships and counties…
Anti-Local Control Bill Goes to House Floor Vote This Afternoon—Call Reps. Now

March 8, 2012
Brian DeVore
Food and Sustainable Agriculture, Loon Commons blog
factory farms, frac sand mines, House File 389, interim ordinance, local control, local government, township government

Surprise and intimidation can be powerful tools when backers of major development seek to build a large facility in a small, rural township. For a town board used to dealing with mundane…
Local Control & the Capitol’s Dangerous Double Standard

February 28, 2012
Brian DeVore
Food and Sustainable Agriculture, Loon Commons blog
development, factory farms, interim ordinance, land use moratorium, local control, local government, sand frac mines, township rights, Wal-Mart, zoning and planning

Nice irony: when a key committee passed House File 389 last Wednesday, it was by a 9 to 5 vote, which is less than the two-thirds majority the bill imposes on local…