An open hearing regarding a tax-forfeited parcel in Becker was held during Tuesday’s county board of commissioners meeting. 

The HOA for the parcel was dissolved when the homeowners decided to take the HOA duties upon themselves. The HOA was managed by a bank, which, since the HOA was dissolved, stopped paying HOA taxes, leading to the situation of the HOA being in tax forfeiture. Technically, this means that the homeowners do not have access to their homes. The board had the options of either reinstating the HOA or dividing ownership of the parcel amongst the homeowners.

One of the homeowners submitted a statement saying she was against reinstating the HOA, as she was on social security and didn’t have money in her budget to pay HOA dues. 

Marie Pflipsen of the City of Becker noted that the plat, the way it is set up currently, requires an HOA to be active in this area to manage the common utilities shared by the homeowners (private roadways, sidewalks, etc.).

Another resident stated that the homeowners were not made aware that they couldn’t dissolve the HOA, and the city didn’t change the zoning for the parcel despite the fact that the HOA was allowed to dissolve. She spoke in support of reinstating the HOA. 

Another man, who was looking to purchase property in the parcel, also spoke in favor of the HOA in order to take care of the common utilities. He also stated that the majority of the homeowners were in favor of reinstating the HOA, with the stipulation that it is self-governed.

Another resident urged the board to come to a decision immediately, as she needed to sell her home right away.

Another resident needed to move into a handicapped home, but due to the situation he was unsure if he would be able to sell his current home.

The board discussed the issues. Commissioner Tim Dolan suggested postponing a decision in order to make the homeowners work together with the county attorney to set up an HOA that will work for all parties and be strong enough to last. 

Commissioner Felix Schmiesing noted that the board’s decision wouldn’t allow the homeowners to be able to sell their homes immediately anyway, as the homeowners need to resolve the situation with the HOA themselves to be able to do so. 

Dolan spoke again, saying that the reasons stated against reforming the HOA (cost, bad history, etc.) did not sound insurmountable and he would like to see the homeowners work together to find a solution that worked for everyone. 

The board eventually moved to direct the homeowners to work with county staff to form a viable plan for an HOA within 30 days, upon which time the board would make a final decision. 

APRA Funding

Staff asked the board to approve a new staff member for the office of veterans’ services, since the pandemic created more work for the office. Over the next several years, the funding for the position will shift away from the ARPA funding by percentages to eventually pay for the new position using taxes from the community, but without needing to raise taxes due to the growth of the community and the increasing tax base.

The board also approved funding for providing broadband to underserved areas of the county. 

In Other Business,the Board:

• Declared adequacy of environmental assessment for Knife River and Tiller Corp. mining projects within Haven and Livonia Townships;

• Issued a closure certificate for Great River Energy Elk River Energy Recovery Station;

• Heard updates from the board.