Fact Sheet: Carlton – Thomson Merger
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The two cities formed a committee to examine merger possibilities in the wake of the June 2012 flood, an
event that had both cities working in tandem to address the emergency and cleanup. The committee
includes the administrative staff and mayors from both communities.
The committee hired the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) in June 2013. ARDC’s
role has been to coordinate public input for the merger process. ARDC’s time has been fully funded by
grants from the Blandin Foundation and Minnesota Power.
The committee commissioned an examination of the merger. The examination was done by David Drown
and Associates. The full report on that examination is available at
www.arrowheadplanning.org/thomsoncarlton. The report discusses services and financial information.
The report states there are no major concerns regarding the merger and that the cities have comparable
tax rates. It is the opinion of the report that each community’s debt loads are not of concern.
The table below is taken directly from the report. It shows the level of local participation in the total tax
income of the two cities. For example when the table shows 57%, it means that 57% of the total tax
income is from local property taxes. It assumes a stable budget. Therefore, the percentage of local
participation increasing or decreasing can infer a parallel increase or drop in an individual’s property
taxes.
The table shows taxes going down initially for each City, but then trending upward in 2017 and 2018. The
table is based on the past four years of tax trends in each City. The projected increase is therefor based
on a trend of shrinking Local Government Aid from 2009 to 2013. That trend has stabilized the past two
years. Therefore it is ARDC’s opinion that the increased taxes shown in 2017 and 2018 will be lower than
what is shown.
A joint community visioning session was held on June 13, 2013. The results of that process can be found
at www.arrowheadplanning.org/thomsoncarlton. The visioning session did not raise any major concerns
about the merger.
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A community meeting was held on August 28, 2013 to review all the materials involved in the merger.
Concerns were raised about the Drown report’s tax analysis. The information was clarified. Other items
reviewed included:
o Each City’s resolution authorizing vote on the merger
o The entire Drown Report
o The vision
o The ballot question
The City Councils of Thomson and Carlton both passed resolutions to proceed with a city-wide vote to
merger.
The Carlton County Auditor worked with the cities to develop a ballot that will be sent by mail to
registered voters for a November 5, 2013 vote in each City. The question will be:
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Shall the City of Carlton, Carlton County, Minnesota and the City of Thomson, Carlton County,
Minnesota be authorized to consolidate into one city?
The votes will be counted separately for each City. If the majority of voters in Thomson vote “yes” and
the majority of voters in Carlton vote “yes” the merger will happen. If the majority of voters in either or
both of the cities vote “no” the merger will not occur.
If the merger happens, the cities will have two years to integrate fully. Decisions will be made regarding
City council representation during that period. Residents have stated they would like to have Thomson
have a designated council district.
The new City will be named “Carlton.”
Thomson will remain as community with its own identity…it has been recommended that signage be
placed that continues to refer to Thomson. It has been recommended that a history interpretive display
be placed on the Munger Trail near the existing City Hall. That display would highlight Thomson as a
community.
The 2010 census shows Carlton’s population to be 864 and Thomson’s to be 159.
The committee’s stated reasons for merging
o Thomson has struggled to find citizens willing to participate on the City Council and other
necessary City processes/roles.
o Thomson struggles to find people to fill positions on such a small part time basis…this includes
maintenance.
o Thomson residents would have more say in water decisions by being able to vote in elections of
the Council that makes water decisions (currently Thomson contracts with Carlton for its water
supply).
o Carlton would have an increased tax base
o Carlton would gain developable property
o A merger would benefit the taxpayers by eliminating redundancies, including:
 Personnel – clerks, maintenance
 Consultants – attorneys, auditors, planners
For more information contact:
Andy Hubley
ARDC
221 West First Street
Duluth, MN 55802
218-529-7512
[email protected]