Minn. Stat. § 216B.361
A township may enter into an agreement with a public utility providing natural gas services to provide services within a designated portion or all of the township. If a city annexes township land for which a utility has an agreement with a township to serve, the utility shall continue to have a nonexclusive right to offer and provide service in the area identified by the agreement with the township for the term of that agreement, subject to the authority of the annexing city to manage public rights-of-way within the city as provided in sections 216B.36, 237.162, and 237.163.
Nothing in this section precludes a city from acquiring the property of a public utility under sections 216B.45 to 216B.47 for the purpose of allowing the city to own and operate a natural gas utility, or to extend natural gas and other utility services into newly annexed areas.
Minn. Stat. § 216B.361
1Sp2003 c 11 art 3 s 5