SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The little town of Crooks is flexing its municipal muscle by enacting a platting jurisdiction that takes in a three mile circumference around the city limits.
Minnehaha County Planner Scott Anderson says the area that Crooks is claiming is probably larger than what reflects the town's growth area.
Anderson says if a farmer or landowner in the jurisdiction wants to plat-off a parcel of land, they'll have to go to the City of Crooks and meet any of the requirements it has adopted. And, as always, requirements that Minnehaha County have established must be met too.
Crooks platting jurisdiction spills east across I-29 but is stunted to the southeast because the town and Sioux Falls haven't agreed to boundaries. Crooks' jurisdiction has to stop halfway to Sioux Falls.
Anderson says Crooks' platting boundaries are not a nice crisp line but a large sweeping arc that makes determining a property's location a little more complicated.
He says Crooks and Sioux Falls should negotiate the jurisdiction sooner rather than later because both towns will grow toward one another. He says it's important to know who will service that area for roads, water, sewer and utlities.
Anderson says Crooks has not yet provided subdivision regulations or a comprehensive plan.
County Comissioner Dean Karsky likened Crooks' move to a land grab. But Anderson says state law allows Crooks to establish the jurisdiction.
