The Becker City Council met Tuesday and discussed committee reports, delinquent utilities, an annexation and frontage road improvements in the industrial park — but most of the time spent in the one-hour meeting revolved around funding a HVAC replacement at Pebble Creek.

 

 

Recreation and Leisure Assistant Josh Kuha presented a resolution to council to replace the Pebble Creek HVAC system yet this year.

 

Kuha explained the golf course staff back in March provided specifications and bids from three reputable companies to replace the dated system. Kuha said the HVAC units were 30 years old and had outlived their expected life and replacement of the units had been deferred for many years.

 

Kuha indicated the total cost of the project would be approximately $155,000 and the funding would come from “future improvements”. He noted the 2018 CIP fund initially held $120,000 for this project, however to appropriately address the air condition problem at the golf course, additional items were deemed necessary.

 

Councilmember Rick Hendrickson said he was not in favor of the funding source since it appeared they didn’t have enough in the fund to fund the project without dipping into the upcoming year’s budget.

 

After a lengthy discussion between Hendrickson, Kuha, Lori Keller, Mike Doering and Mayor Tracy Bertram (Todd Hanrahan was absent from meeting), the council decided to utilize $55,000 of leftover cash from the 2018 CIP and combine it with the future improvements fund to pay for the project. Hendrickson and Keller were both concerned about how the paying of the project would affect the budgeting for 2019 and beyond.

 

Kuha said three quotes were initially received in March for the project, however one company dropped out of the bidding. McDowall Co. submitted the most favorable bid and was awarded the contract.

 

 

Finance Director Connie Robinson asked council to open a public hearing to address concerns or questions in regards to certifying delinquent utilities to the tax rolls.

 

The hearing was opened and closed quickly as no one from the public was there to speak on the subject.

 

Robinson went ahead and asked council to approve the resolution to certify the charges to the county. She said to date there were 86 accounts outstanding amounting to a total of $26,000. Property owners hoping to pay off these debts still have until Nov. 30 to pay it in full before being assessed a $50 charge and possible interest.

 

 

Community Development Director Marie Pflipsen said city staff had received a petition from Xcel Energy for the annexation of the remaining property on the south side that they own in the City of Becker. 

 

Pflipsen presented a map identifying each of the areas described in the petition for annexation. The subject land is approximately 643 acres.

 

She said as Xcel Energy continues to work with the city on the marketing and development of their property, they would like to have it annexed to reduce the time required to complete projects and reduce any confusion for projects on the jurisdictional control of the site. 

 

All of the properties covered by the petition for annexation are under the orderly annexation area with Becker Township, Pflipsen said, and would be governed by that agreement.

 

She also said the resolution reflects the agreed upon reimbursement of the lost taxes to the township over the course of the next five years. 

 

Upon the completion of the annexation process the property will come into the city as agricultural and Xcel will be looking to have the property rezoned to industrial to match the surrounding properties. This process, she says, cannot be completed until the property is formally annexed into the city. 

 

 

Clerk Julie Blesi asked for council to call for a public hearing to consider certification of unpaid weed bills to the 2019 property tax roll.

 

Blesi said staff sent grass and weed violation notices to residents June 29 and July 25 of this year. Residents were given 10 days to mow their properties prior to public works staff completing the work on their behalf. Residents were mailed bills for the work completed Aug. 21, giving them 30 days to pay their bill. 

 

Blesi said to consider the certification of unpaid weed bills to 2019 property taxes, a public hearing must be held and she requested the hearing be at the Dec. 4 city council meeting. A notice of hearing of proposed assessment was sent to those residents with unpaid bills Nov. 15. 

 

 

City Administrator Greg Pruszinske asked council to approve a supplemental letter from SEH to begin the process of creating a frontage road through the Becker Industrial Park from Liberty Lane to Co. Rd. 8.

 

Pruszinske said the supplemental letter agreement will authorize this work. He also noted the lump sum fee for these services is $299,575, with expenses and equipment charges estimated at $6,925. He said these funds will come from the 2019 Frontage Road Improvements Project Account. 

 

Pruszinske mentioned the frontage road project is necessary to help position the city for future development in the park. He said the frontage road would make easy access for vehicles wishing to move products and materials through the park to Co. Rd. 8 and eventually up to I-94 in Clearwater. 

 

The project is estimated at around $7.1 million with federal funding for $2.9 million requested and another $3.3 million received from the 2018 Minnesota Bonding Bill. The estimated project schedule shows a design period of six months, a three month period of time to obtain required permits, a four month time frame to obtain required easements and right-of-ways, a two month time period for the solicitation of bids and awarding of contracts and a 16-month construction period starting in 2019.