In early August, several Board members had conversations with people who have been through the incorporation process.  It became clear that we have considerably more work to do to submit an application for incorporation.  At almost the same time, the City of Northfield proposed that the current annexation agreement be extended for 5 years and that Bridgewater agree to not petition for incorporation during those 5 years.  During that time, we would work together to both develop a new annexation agreement and to jointly work to see if there are ways of working with the City and County to achieve our goals without incorporating. 

The agreement we reached with Northfield, which has been formalized in a joint resolution, is essentially:

1. The Orderly Annexation Agreement will be extended for three years.
2. Bridgewater will not apply for incorporation for three years.
3. We will meet at least quarterly to develop a new annexation agreement and to see if there are other ways Northfield can assist us in meeting our long-term goals.
4. Northfield will not initiate litigation against the Township concerning incorporation during these three years.
5. If either Party is not satisfied with the progress in the joint meetings (item 3), they can exit the agreement which would then dissolve in 180 days.

There is no restriction on the Township’s ability to continue developing an application for incorporation.