Midway Wins Annexation Battle with Proctor

PROCTOR - A 20-year battle between Proctor and Midway Township has come to an end. Thursday, a judge decided it was not in the township's best interest to be annexed by Proctor.

The residents of Midway are calling this one a big win, but Proctor sees it as a missed opportunity for the neighboring community.

Proctor officials say the biggest reason for the proposed annexation was to develop land along I-35 coming into Duluth, and to reach a population of 5,000 people. Once at the 5,000 mark, the city would get more money from the state.

At the same time, the annex would have lowered Proctor's property taxes by nearly 30 percent, and increased Midway's by a whopping 64 percent.

“We did what a lot of people thought we should do and it didn't work out,” explained Proctor Mayor Dave Brenna. “Now we'll grab out boots, pull them up, and go on.”

Overall, Midway residents are happy with the decision not to be annexed. One resident even described the situation as a hostile takeover. Most people living in the township like the way they live, and never wanted to be annexed in the first place.

“This has strained relationships all across the board,” said the vice chair of Midway Township, Jim Arid. “It's going to take some time to soothe over the hard feelings, but eventually we'll probably get back to normal.”

Midway officials tell Fox 21 they hope to move forward from this and focus on infrastructure and utility issues in the area.

As for Proctor, the city council does have the option to appeal the judge’s decision and move forward in the annexation. But according to the mayor Thursday, he thinks the appeal is a waste of time and money.