New Working Group to Include Tribe, County, Prior Lake and Shakopee

The , and the cities of Prior Lake and Shakopee have the support of Shakopee's city council to form an intergovernmental working group.

Representatives from all but Scott County have signed on to the agreement, with the county board taking it up in the near future, said City Administrator Mark McNeill.

The group is giving itself a wide platform. Areas of discussion could include law enforcement, transportation, employment, taxation, economic development, land use and acquisition and environmental protection, among others, McNeill said. The goal is reducing conflicts, building efficiency and providing better service.

Councilor Steve Clay suggested the weorking group after the City of Shakopee was called to comment on . If approved by the federal government, the land would be taken off Shakopee’s tax rolls.

Shakopee councilors chose in January to comment in opposition of the tribe’s efforts.

“It’s good to form better partnerships,” McNeill said. “Perhaps we will not have to have negative comments on land trust applications if all our questions are answered before we get to that point.”

The group will include two representatives from each governmental entity. For Shakopee, councilor Matt Lehman recommended starting with Community Development Director Michael Leek and a city engineer.

"It's a really big step," Mayor Brad Tabke said Wednesday. "There's no teeth to it —we can't vote or veto things—but, for the first time, we can share what's going on."