St. Cloud City Council to Set Public Hearing on Justice Center Land Annexation Monday Night

(KNSI) — The St. Cloud City Council is expected Monday night to approve setting a public hearing for the annexation of land from St. Joseph Township for the new Stearns County Jail and Justice Center.

The Bechtold Family Limited Partnership and the Scott D. Anderson Revocable Trust currently own the more than 85-acre plot of land, and a document filed with the city confirms their request to annex it. Per the voter-approved referendum in November 2024, Stearns County has secured land for relocation of the jail and court system functions from downtown St. Cloud. The parcel is located northeast of the intersection of County Road 75 and County Road 134. Annexation is deemed necessary because the land abuts the existing city limits and must be within St. Cloud to house the court system, as the city is the county seat, and to allow access to municipal services such as water, sewer, police, and fire protection.

The council initiated the annexation by ordinance process for the Stearns County Justice Center on September 8th. Unplatted land measuring less than 200 acres and abutting the city limits may be annexed by ordinance upon receipt of property owner petitions.

The item is on the consent agenda, which means the reading will likely be waived and the public hearing scheduled. A council member can move to pull it for further discussion.

Also, Monday night, the council will see the numbers for the proposed 2026 Enterprise Funds Budget. Those funds are supported by user fees, customer charges, and special taxes, without any general property tax levies.

The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m.

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