The Becker City Council Tuesday adopted a preliminary tax levy for 2015 - an increase of 13.17% over the current year.

 

Council approval of the levy hike was not unanimous. It passed on a 3-2 vote, with Councilmembers Adam Oliver, Lynette Brannan and Tracy Bertram in approval, with Mayor Lefty Kleis and Councilman Rick Hendrickson saying “no.”

 

The proposed levy will be increased by $690,023 from this year’s levy of $5,238,736 to $5,928,759.

 

The general fund property tax will increase by $920,233 to $3,633,801.

 

The Becker Community Center fund levy will increase by $124,446 to $560,846.

 

The EDA levy will increase by $2,980 to $113,280.

 

However, the debt service levy will decrease by $363,536 to $1,293,432, because the city will have paid off a set of bonds financing improvements to the wastewater treatment -plant.

 

The council appeared to be pretty much in agreement on a three-plus percent hike in general operations expenditures increases for 2015.

 

But it was a package of $500,000 in capital improvements and significant operations increases which divided them.

 

Among the expenditures approved were $75,000 for Pebble Creek Golf Course improvements, improvements to 2nd Street, Gardner and Morris, among others, a snow plow truck and police vehicle purchase, Pleasant Valley Park turf-irrigation, grass truck for the fire department, fuel storage system, city hall carpet replacement, among others.

 

Oliver spoke passionately about the need to fund the projects in a one-hour deliberation two weeks ago. Brannan and Bertram felt likewise.

 

Mayor Kleis, however,  wanted the Pebble Creek and other improvements out, at a savings of about $150,000.

 

Hendrickson said Tuesday he felt the increases should be smaller, “so we could grow at a lower rate.”

 

Among the operations increases expected will be about $205,000 for wages and benefits to city staffers,  about a two percent cost-of-living adjustment, additional public works staffing. Also, the city is looking at a  23% hike in health insurance.

 

The city, despite the sizeable tax levy hike, still expects its tax rate to not increase in 2015; rather, it will stay about at 34.

 

A benefit of the improving economy is that valuations of city properties are increasing and should generate funds to offset the levy hike, Treasurer Sarah Brunn said.

 

This preliminary levy will be certified to the county this month, leading to the formal public hearing in December prior to its official adoption.

 

Law requires public bodies not increase their levies from the preliminary levy; rather, they can reduce them.

 

Kristen Goenner, owner of Little Friends Montessori at 12690 Riley Avenue, secured approval of a variance request and conditional use permit to establish her school as a private educational facility in the R2 zoning district.

 

She has operated the facility as a home day care for the 11 years of its existence.

 

The new designation won’t change the physical layout of the establishment. 

 

She is agreeing to have only 12 students on site at a time.

 

Neighbors were reported in support of the change, to include a dropoff site for children to the north of the facility.

 

In other action, the council:

•Approved hiring of Therese Haffner as a planner in the administration department;

 

• Approved hiring of Jackie Mauer, Corinne Berndt and Barbara Wolhouse in the community center and the termination of Cole Anderson and Megan Gruber from the center.