BEMIDJI — An administrative law judge rejected the city of Bemidji’s motion to reconsider portions of its boundary dispute with Northern Township.
The township, meanwhile, appears to be reconsidering its own plans of building a new wastewater treatment plant, instead proposing to connect to the city’s existing system.
The two neighbors have been at odds over which entity is best equipped to realize a decades-long regional goal of installing sewer pipes around Lake Bemidji, to eliminate the need for septic systems.
Bemidji filed its motion disputing the result shortly after the Feb. 10 decision granting Northern Township’s petition to become its own city and firm its boundaries. The same decision also denied Bemidji’s counterpetition to absorb properties around the lake into its own city limits.
Bemidji’s legal team from Flaherty & Hood argued that a letter from the township — received three days after the administrative decision — should be submitted as new evidence and grounds to rehear portions of the trial. The motion also requested the judge’s approval to annex the area near Lake Bemidji State Park, the site of the first phase of Northern Township’s wastewater project.
“Northern Township submitted a letter to the City Council seeking extension of the City’s municipal wastewater utilities," Bemidji's Feb. 17 motion stated. “Upon receipt of this letter, the City unsurprisingly found that the Township has yet to be granted a municipal wastewater permit from the MPCA [Minnesota Pollution Control Agency].”
The township’s proposed wastewater services agreement would have the soon-to-be city construct the pipes that connect to Bemidji’s existing wastewater treatment facility, which would bill Northern as a paying customer. Northern, in its letter to the Bemidji City Council, also offered to buy its engineering plans for the wastewater connection.
“Connecting Township residents to the city’s system would generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in ongoing user fees for the city, providing a meaningful and sustained revenue stream,” the Feb. 13 letter stated. “For the Township, it addresses a critical infrastructure need for our citizens.”
Administrative Law Judge Jessica Palmer-Denig, who oversaw the months-long trial in 2025, denied Bemidji’s motion, stating that the city’s requests are out of the bounds of the court’s jurisdiction. Bemidji's alternative area to annex was not described during the trial, and new evidence must be submitted before the final decision, according to Palmer-Denig.
“The Court understands that this matter has deep significance for both the City and Township and, to the extent that there are ongoing disputes between the parties, the Court suggests that mediation may assist the parties in finding a path forward," she wrote in a Monday, March 2, order.
In a Tuesday news release, Township Administrator Chris Lahn stated that Northern is “committed to a cooperative approach” with its Bemidji neighbor on projects that serve both communities.
“The wastewater project is moving ahead, we are preparing for the transition to city operations later this year, and we remain focused on delivering consistent, day-to-day services to our residents,” Lahn stated.
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