A 40-Year Deal, a Last-Minute Rewrite, and the Questions That Wouldn’t Stay Buried
by Stephanie Lippke 8/4/26
Tonight, Council is being asked to approve a limited-purpose annexation tied to a 40-year agreement. The problem is that the posted packet contains wrong dates, the wrong agreement, and missing information.
May 2024: The original approvals
The Triada Development Agreement was approved in May 2024. The Triada Strategic Partnership Agreement was approved on May 21, 2024, and Council authorized the mayor to sign it.
The packet posted for tonight
The executive summary says the Triada agreement was approved in May 2025. That conflicts with the ordinance and the original resolution.
The packet also includes a Strategic Partnership Agreement for Harvest Ridge and Altessa MUD instead of the Triada agreement.
Following the May 2025 date
I reviewed the May 6, 2025 Council packet. That meeting was about Lund Farm MUD, not Triada. It included Lund Farm development, water, and wastewater agreements.
Council members were alerted
After finding these problems, I contacted council members and shared the actual Triada agreement.
Page 5, Section 2.4(c), says Elgin must provide police and library services after annexation. It also requires a separate agreement explaining those services and how Triada will pay the City’s costs.
That separate service and payment agreement was not included in the packet.
Hours before the meeting
Several council members have told me that corrected documents will be handed out shortly before the meeting. I am also being told that the police and library language will be removed.
That is not a simple correction. It changes one of the main parts of the agreement.
The SPA says changes require written approval from both Elgin and Triada MUD.
What should happen tonight
Council should postpone the vote.
The City should post the corrected packet, provide the fully signed Triada agreement, show any written changes, and give Council and the public time to review everything.
A last-minute handout does not fix the problem. It shows the item is not ready for a vote.
