Monday evening was another night dominated with land use issues, some current and some future, for the Becker Town Board.
The Woodberry Farms island cul-de-sacs were again on the agenda, as the board last month had allowed residents a one month window to explore creating a homeowner’s association as a potential solution to take over the liability associated with these two unique areas.
Several residents again were on hand to discuss the situation. The process and cost associated with creating the association proved to be prohibitive, therefore the township plans to move forward with the removal of trees and boulders from these areas, but the curbing will remain in place until the road is eventually replaced.
The board unanimously approved a pair of secondary road accesses on 126th St., one each to the Koester and Girard families.
Next, the board gave its blessing to a variance request to Paul Muenzhuber for his property at Carefree Country Club.
Drainage issues continue to be an issue in the Bridgeview Development and the Gulbrandson family reached out to the board to see if there was interest in working together on a possible lower cost solution. Estimates in the past have come in at over $100,000 to try and mitigate some of the issues. The board directed Supervisor Gary Gilbert and Engineer Wes Davis to work with the Gulbrandsons to see if there is merit to their proposal.
Planning Commission
Since the township handles its own zoning issues, the board again heard an update from the previous week’s planning commission meeting.
The University of MN has plans to construct a 10- foot high fence around their property, but the University is exempt from local building permitting processes so the request was more of a notification that this will be happening in the future.
Pool Ordinance
The board agreed to hold a public hearing at its August meeting to consider a change to the ordinance regarding below ground pools. Current ordinance requires a four foot high fence enclosure to be built around these pools, however there has been interest from township residents to consider letting homeowners utilize a pool cover in lieu of the fencing.
The board learned that the county has revised their ordinance to allow for the covers and the consensus of the board was to hear from members of the public regarding this issue.
IUP Denial
The board followed up on a recommendation from the planning commission and denied an Interim Use Permit (IUP) request from The Hideout to hold outdoor events at their business. The owners had received an IUP in the past, but the board felt the previous conditions were not adhered to as outlined in the permit. In addition, there apparently were additional events held at the business that occurred outside those applied for by permit in 2018.
Electronic Signage
After hearing from several residents about speed concerns in the past few months, the board had investigated looking into portable signage that could be used to monitor speeds on township roadways. Gilbert had looked into the situation and received several quotes, ranging from $3,700 to $4,200. After discussion, the board decided to table the issue for the time being.
Joint Fire Meeting
In addition to the township business, Monday was also the date of the annual joint meting with the Becker City Council to consider the 2020 Fire Department budget. The Becker Fire District operates as a joint powers agreement, therefore both governing bodies meet to ultimately approve the budget as presented by the Joint Powers Fire Board. The town board went into recess to convene the joint meeting.
There was little discussion on the budget, as it came in with less than a four percent increase as compared to the current year. Much of the increase that was proposed was for a bump in the workers compensation insurance. This was not based on usage, but rather the level of coverage needed for the department. There was also an increase budgeted in the uniform line item. Budget decreases were expected in the telephone, refuse and fuel/transportation categories.
The two bodies approved the budget and that meeting was adjourned and the town board went on to finish the items on its agenda.
In other business, the board:
*Received correspondence from the state demographer indicating the April 2018 township population estimate to be 5,555;
*Learned that the District 7 MN Association of Townships meeting will be held in Big Lake on August 8;
*Approved supervisors Babler and Danielson to attend a Night to Unite event to represent the township at a neighborhood gathering on August 6;
*Decided not to participate in the next round of broadband grants;
*Reviewed current revisions for the Developer’s Agreement and a final opinion on the Boulder Crossing development from attorney Kelli Bourgeois;
*Heard an update from Supervisors Babler and Danielson on progress being made on repairs and landscaping at the Town Hall;
*Heard from Chair Brian Kolbinger in regards to progress being made on the Hwy. 25 corridor economic development coalition.
