Becker’s most outspoken political figure — Mayor Lefty Kleis — was motioned for censureship by Council Member Lori Keller during Tuesday’s executive session meeting.

 

Keller’s call for censuring the mayor was due to the Mayor’s recent gab session on WJON Radio in St. Cloud May 13. Keller, in turn, took to the microphone at the station May 22 to smooth over the inaccuracies the mayor portrayed in his interview.

 

In the mayor’s original interview with the station, he was quoted as saying Pebble Creek Golf Course has lost over $2 million in the last six years — averaging about $340,000 a year. Keller got on the air to say she has a different viewpoint from Mayor Kleis, saying the course has had $800,000 in operating losses, and an additional $600,000 in capital improvements, during that period. Keller says the losses are a small part of Becker’s overall budget.

 

“So from a cost benefit analysis it’s not that bad,” she said in the interview. “And in addition, a city is in the business of attracting residents, and we’re in the business of attracting industries and businesses. So we need to differentiate ourselves so our amenities that we do have at Becker attract people to come and live here.”

 

Keller’s censuring of Kleis would ensure he would be silent when talking about Pebble Creek or the city’s financials, since she says he is not depicting the whole story in either case.

 

“The mayor is ignoring the process and rules of the code of conduct,” she said. “His talking of these issues is causing the public to hear contradicting messages.” 

 

At the workshop, Council Members Keller, Tracy Bertram and Adam Oliver all appeared to be in tandem in the censuring, but Member Rick Hendrickson was hesitant to abide by the censureship since he feels it would violate the mayor’s “free speech”.

 

Hendrickson did, however, chastise the mayor for shining such a dark light on the city by talking so negatively about the golf course — especially through major media outlets such as WJON Radio and the St. Cloud Times.

 

Kleis said the council could “go ahead with your censuring if you want” but he proclaimed he will never stop expressing his feelings about the golf course and how he believes the city should not be involved in running it.

 

Oliver asked Kleis why he would say the golf course lost $340,000 last year when in fact that number is not accurate. Kleis answered by saying that that is what he read on the auditor’s financial statements to the city for the 2014 year.

 

“99.9% of the people out there can’t read a financial statement and neither can I,” Kleis said.”So I tell them what I see right here in black and white.”

 

Oliver shot back that since most people don’t in fact understand financial statements, the mayor should not be misleading them with inaccurate numbers.

 

Kleis asked if anyone has talked to the city’s lawyer about whether they have the right to censure him about this and council decided to hand over the censure to City Administrator Greg Pruszinske to get in contact with Scott Lepak to come up with a plan on whether to proceed with the censure motion or not.

 

Censure is an action by the government rebuking the actions or conduct of an individual.

 

Treasurer Sarah Brunn gave a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) update to council to start discussions as the city moves into the 2016-17 budget cycle.

 

Brunn outlined the needs and visions of the existing CIP and an overview of the process. She and her staff reviewed the existing plan, obtained updated quotes and information deemed necessary and reasonable and update plans and implemented inflation factors and levy projections.

 

She talked about “assumptions” and said with the inflation factor, she sees 2016-17 as being straight lined (not compounding) at 5% per year. Anything beyond 2021 is around 30%. She also sees the consumer price index at less than 2% and the use of no reserve funding starting in 2016.

 

Her goal was to identify levy amounts to sustain positive ending balances in the revolving capital accounts.

 

She showed slides of the capital levy history and projected levies and the impact it will have. She said the debt service levy would remain relatively flat at $1.3 million, the operations levy rising to $3.5 million and the capital levy at $2.6 million. The total ($7.4 million) would be an increase of 24.8% from 2015.

 

Brunn talked about the tax rate impact and the estimated tax for residents and business owners for 2016-17 and beyond. Becker’s 34.230% tax rate is still the lowest in comparison to other area cities such as Big Lake (57.518%), Clear Lake (83.549%) and Princeton (74.758%).

 

Brunn finished by asking council to discuss and review the CIP’s at committee levels and incorporate any changes/priorities in to the 2016-17 budget. She also said she’d like to see a transition from general fund transfers to direct revolving capital levy beginning in the 2016-17 budget cycle.

 

Clerk Julie Blesi asked council to approve a resolution to adopt a policy for electronic communication for staff and council.

 

Blesi said staff had requested an internal policy be created to ensure proper use of electronic messaging and the capture and saving of such communication for record-keeping.

 

The purpose is to increase awareness of the risks associated with using electronic communications and its requirements. The policy will apply to all city employees, elected officials, contractors, consultants, volunteers, agents or any other persons who have gained or been given access to the city’s computer system.

 

The policy discussed general conditions of electronic communication as well as violations, inspection, monitoring, and ethical conduct.

 

On the heels of the electronic communication policy, Blesi asked council to approve a resolution contracting with a digital enterprise content management solution company to maintain accurate records of all city transactions and affairs.

 

Laserfiche — a non-proprietary file archiving system supported by CrabTree Companies in Eagan — will be the software to store all electronic files to a server purchased by the city. The server will cost the city $3,867 and five user licenses with two scanners will be purchased for a cost of $13,476.

 

This filing system is budgeted for the 2015 year and the funds for the software and server will come out of the revolving capital computer network/filing system fund. The software maintenance will come out of the general fund contractors services fund.

 

Mayor Kleis noted staff and council has been receiving discounts at the Pebble Creek Golf Course Pro Shop over the years and he says he’d like to see that stop. Kleis said the only thing he sees staff or council should get discounts on is apparel that displays the City of Becker of the golf course only.

 

Kleis said the reason for that idea is so there will not be a desire for someone to buy discounted product (i.e., golf clubs) and selling them for a profit.

 

Keller shrugged and asked, “have we had an issue with that in the past?”

 

Keller said she doesn’t see the discount as being an issue and feels the change will result in too much time and effort being delicated to an issue that doesn’t exist in the first place.

 

Hendrickson suggested something be written in the personnel policy.

 

Pruszinske said the reason they have the discounts is for many factors including staff retention, recruiting and  showing pride of the city, not taking advantage of the discounts.

 

Kleis suggested Pruszinske write new verbiage for the personnel policy to say, “purchased items at a 10% discount cannot be re-sold.”

 

Council concurred.

 

• Sherburne History Center Executive Director Mike Brubaker gave a short presentation of the baby quilts a group of his volunteers are donating to various local entities such as the Becker Police and Sherburne County Sheriff’s Department. 

 

Brubaker donated $1,260 worth of blankets to the BPD Tuesday night.  “We want to give back to the communities,” he said;

 

• Streets Supervisor Joe Danielson was acknowledged for his 31 years of service to the City of Becker;

 

• Water/Wastewater Supervisor Dave Pesola was acknowledged for his 10 years of service to the City of Becker.

 

The next Becker City Council meeting is June 16 at 5 p.m.