Monday, the Becker Township Board met to discuss routine matters such as fees and road work but topics such as sheriff projects and mailbox damage also made it on the agenda. 

 

 

Last year, there were 2198 calls total received. These calls are pertaining to anything deputies would encounter. 

 

There were less than 10 DUI calls, but it’s likely law enforcement agencies handled most of those. During the meeting, the sheriff representative explained how there is always at least one deputy assigned to the Becker area, 24 hours a day. 

 

Residents can feel safe knowing that although patrol deputies are the most visible ones out and about, there are about 300 total workers on the sheriff department’s staff. 

 

Another noteworthy item is that the department recently spearheaded an effort with local law enforcement agencies to create a criminal intelligence center where officers, investigators and analysts will have access to shared resources to solve crimes across the region. 

 

In 2018, the sheriff’s department really focused on active shooter response. They’ve done lots of training with law enforcement agencies, but they learned that EMS actually plays a large role in orchestrating evacuations from these dangerous situations, so from now on, ambulance services and other rescue teams will be participating in the active shooter trainings as well. 

 

Also, there have been many changes in the county such as rebranding websites to help people locate inmates, manage gun permits, and find information. The sheriffs would like residents to know that there are releases on Facebook and other social media, where they are always grateful to have the support and help of the public when requests for information are posted. 

 

 

There was talk of creating an annual permit fee for establishments like food trucks—nothing big, perhaps an amount between $50 and $100, so the township is aware of who’s operating in the area. Other cost items came up as well. Public hearings require a $75 fee to the public currently, but it costs about $700 for the township to hold that meeting when someone requests it. The same is true for special meetings, so the board is expecting the fee to increase in order to account for the large difference.

 

Credit card use is allowed for purchasing building permits, but the city just passed a rule stating that if a purchase is $500, then they get a 2.5% fee added. The township is reviewing those fees as well, because there were instances last year where people chose to submit a permit for review and then backed out mid-process. 

 

Non-issue permits will need to be paid for regardless of whether or not the requestor decides to build. The board entertained the idea of requiring a deposit for these reviews in order to avoid wasting time and funds on review processes where the individuals choose to not come back and pay for their permits. 

 

 

Work on 185th is going well; plans are just about finished in the quality assurance process now. A meeting was held to review history and see what challenges had come up before in order to determine how to make things better, simpler and more streamlined for everyone involved this time around. The project needs to be advertised for two weeks, and March 18 is when the project will be open for bidding. 

 

The group is also revamping engineering standards to make them more professional and add clarity. While they work through that, the engineers will also be evaluating road conditions. 

 

 

Land O’ Lakes donated $600 for equipment to the fire board. Liberty Paper also did a program called Gratitude and Appreciation with the schools, giving each class $25 to donate, and two classes (Babbler’s kindergarten class, and Croal’s second grade class) chose the Becker Fire Dept.

 

 

If residents’ mailbox has been hit by the town’s plowing truck, there isn’t much you can do besides replace it. If the swing-away mailboxes get hit, then the town replaces them with another swing-away but otherwise it’s not their responsibility. 

 

The policy is that if you don’t have the township’s recommended mailbox (the swing-aways), then you cannot hold the township liable for mailbox damage. 

 

For more information on mailbox standards and regulations, review the Snow & Ice policy. Residents should remember that mailboxes can only be bought with cash or checks at the township office.

 

March 18 is the next township board meeting for those who would like to attend.