Becky Olmscheid was the only member of the Becker City Council absent from its regularly scheduled meeting on Tues,, April 1, 2025.
During the meeting, council approved a letter of support for the recently completed Hwy. 25 Area Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study conducted by the Central Mississippi River Partnership and Bolton & Menk that began in 2023. The purpose of the PEL study was to develop a long-term vision for transportation improvements in the area with the intent to identify several transportation alternatives for a Mississippi crossing to carry forward into the National Environmental Protection Act process.
The letter of support was requested by Bolton & Menk so that it could be included in the appendices of the final PEL study document and to provide evidence that all entities involved in the creation of the PEL study are supportive of the alternatives selected to move forward into the NEPA process. The study identifies 10 alternatives that would make changes to roadways in Monticello, Becker, Becker Township, and Big Lake.
Community Development Director Jacob Sanders, who presented the resolution to council, cautioned that the PEL study was just a study.
“One caveat I should make to the public, this doesn’t mean that these are built in this format or that they’re coming to be built right away,” he said.
The resolution was passed on a 3-1 vote with Mike Doering voting no. Doering explained his decision.
“I personally don’t like any of those options that they came up with,” he said. “To me all it is is moving congestion around in a different way. I’m not opposed to this going forward, but I can’t vote for it.”
Details of the proposed crossings can be found at https://arcg.is/1qaWPz0.
Committee Reports
Council Member Rick Hendrickson updated the other members of council on the happenings of the March 31 meeting of the Planning Commission. A husband and wife couple from Becker spoke during open forum and presented a proposed ordinance that would allow city residents to be able to house chickens in their backyards. The commission spoke about proposed ordinance during the meeting and agreed that discussion for the ordinance will occur at the next Planning Meeting, April 28, 2025 at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Chambers.
Hendrickson also informed council that applications were closed on March 31 for the open Police Chief position.
Misc.
A resolution supporting Together Reaching Area Kids (TRAK) was passed. TRAK is a is a community-driven organization dedicated to supporting and empowering residents of the Becker community. The resolution stated, “The Council hereby expresses its strong support for TRAK - Together Reaching Area Kids and commends the organization for its ongoing dedication to the betterment of the community’s youth and overall mental health.”
Mayor Mark Kolbinger congratulated Becker Police Officer Paul Hickerson for his 10 years of service. He also recognized Curt Bertsch for nine years of service and Tiffany Bennett for seven.
