An annual report from the local library, a tobacco violation notice, a call for a public meeting for a DEED application and a tongue-lashing from a citizen were all a part of Tuesday’s Becker City Council meeting.

 

Becker city resident Wilbur Lemmon reluctantly approached the podium during open forum Tuesday to tell council about his ongoing problems with drainage on his property.

 

Lemmon said “the city took away his drainage” when they put in a crossing on his land and he has tried to get the city to fix the problem but “nobody is doing anything about it.”

 

Lemmon, who last year complained that he was being charged unnecessarily by the city for not mowing around a post in the easement of his property, lashed out Tuesday at the current and past councils who “have laughed and mocked him” over the years.

 

“The city likes to laugh at me, bully me and wish I was dead,” Lemmon said. “I’m considering suing you all for harassment, slander and wishing I was dead.”

 

Mayor Lefty Kleis told Lemmon his two-to-three minutes of speaking during open forum was up, but if he wanted, he could return at the second open forum later in the meeting to continue talking about his issue.

 

Lemmon bellowed he was not interested in sitting through the entire meeting to get to the next open forum and continued his diatribe as he exited council chambers with Police Chief Brent Baloun following him out the door.

 

Also during open forum, citizen Chad Matthews mentioned he had two questions and concerns he’d like to bring up to council.

 

The first item of note was the lawsuit the mayor filed against the city in April. Matthews asked how much that lawsuit cost the city and are the citizens liable to pay for the cost. He also asked how it was going to be paid.

 

His second question and concern was in reference to the censure the mayor is currently under and how is it he can say at the forum that it will soon be lifted.

 

“I’d like to see facts released on these issues,” he said.

 

Rick Hendrickson said the current censure is in place for the duration of 2016. The censure was put in place a couple years ago because Mayor Kleis went public with his opinion on Pebble Creek’s financials, ignoring the proper processes and the rules of the code of conduct.

 

Lori Keller asked City Administrator Greg Pruszinske if he could pull together a summary of what the lawsuit cost the city. Todd Hanrahan asked Pruszinske to also provide information on any impact the lawsuit has to the city’s insurance should the city pay for defending the lawsuit in that manner.

 

Jeannette Burkhardt of the Great River Regional Library in Becker gave her annual report. She explained that the Becker library started in 1984 when it was housed in the elementary school. Eventually it moved to the township hall then to the BCC in 1995.

 

Burkhardt said the library circulated 49,000 items from January through September of 2016. Fifty-two percent of the items were self-checked and she said currently there are 2,400 library card holders in the area.

 

Average attendance for the Becker programs put on by the library is 28.

 

Burkhardt boasted about many of the programs the library hosts including kids clubs and school programs, teen and adult events, their winter and summer reading programs and a plethora of region-wide programs.

 

She mentioned how proud she was of the Legacy Programs and collaborations she has had with area programs and schools. She also mentioned the event guide usually distributed at this time of the year is in delay, but she did pass out a copy of a calendar featuring upcoming programs at GRRL.

 

Police Chief Baloun asked council to open a public hearing in regards to the tobacco violation penalty to E-Cig Innovations.

 

In July, the BPD and Sherburne County conducted a tobacco compliance check in which an employee at E-Cig Innovations sold a tobacco item to an underage, undercover person.

 

Two penalties come out of a violation such as this. The first is a criminal charge against the employee, who will be required to appear in court for their actions.

 

The second, is a civil penalty against the business which amounts to a $100 fine for a first offense. Baloun said he talked with the owner (Mr. Potvin) and he said he does not question the results of the compliance check and is willing to accept whatever penalty council agrees to.

 

Mr. Potvin — and nobody else from the public — appeared before council Tuesday to make a statement.

 

Council agreed to the first offense penalty of $100 per the city’s ordinance.

 

Pruszinske asked council to call for a public hearing Nov. 1 to consider an application to the Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) in reference to assisting a local business with expansion.

 

Pruszinske said the manufacturing business (Manufacturing Partners, Inc., currently located in Big Lake) came to the City of Becker looking for assistance in the company’s expansion efforts. Pruszinske noted the city didn’t “snipe” the business from Big Lake and that the City of Becker just so happened to have the available space for the business to relocate.

 

The company, in partnership with the city, will potentially be requesting approximately $384,000 to be used to create jobs, Pruszinske said.

 

Council voted to call for a public hearing to further discuss the application and business opportunity on Nov. 1.

 

Mark Wolters of public works received the August safety award for setting a great example for his fellow co-workers. Wolters is always seen wearing the proper personal protection equipment required for the projects he works on and also sets a great example by participating in daily stretching each morning prior to beginning work to help prevent injuries.

 

Costs to put asphalt and striping down for a new parking lot in T-Town was higher than expected, so council voted to create the parking lot with Class-5 for the time being and wait until spring to re-evaluate how to finish the project.

 

The next council meeting is Nov. 1 at 6 p.m.