Becker City Council spent two hours Tuesday discussing Kwik Trip, security cameras, a Score grant, a golf maintenance lease, utility services, legislative support on issues and proposals, IP road improvements, a war memorial and issues with a property owner over an easement.

 

Stephanie Mauer — along with her husband Jim — appeared before council during open forum to ask for a resolution to the problem on her and her neighbor’s property.

 

At the last meeting, Mauer and members of Haller Realty — who own the adjoining property to the Mauers — asked the city to make good on a problem they consider is the city’s.

 

Haller Realty is interested in selling a vacant lot to a client who wishes to move a house to and set up residence. During this process it was discovered the vacant property did not have access to city water and sewer and would need to tap in. It was also discovered the Mauer property to the East had their water and sewer lines running under the vacant property without an easement.

 

Through all the discussion from the last meeting and Tuesday’s meeting, Stephanie Mauer argued (as did Haller Realty) that it is the city’s responsibility to pay for the easement since they failed to do so years ago. The cost for an easement was estimated to be around $2,000 to $2,500.

 

Council argued that at the time the lines from the Mauers were tapped in to city utilities, the two parcels were owned by one person.

 

Councilman Mike Doering argued that under normal circumstances the easement costs would get charged back to the property owner as an assessment on their taxes.

“It’s a private easement, the city has no obligation to pay,” said Doering.

 

Mauer said she felt disheartened because she thought the city promised to resolve the issue by reaching out to all parties involved — but she was never contacted.

 

“There’s been a lot of miscommunication,” she said. “I left here two weeks ago feeling optimistic. This issue has been dropped multiple times. Can I get this on the agenda to get voted on?”

 

Doering said there is nothing to vote on. The easement would need to be paid by the property owner or the new buyer.

 

Roger Bigalke, a Becker resident and Vietnam War veteran, approached council to ask for the city’s support in having a Veteran’s Memorial constructed on city hall property in honor of those who are serving, those who have served and those who will serve in the future.

 

Bigalke provided council with two potential sites at city hall — one in the front plaza and one to the left of the current flag pole.

 

Bigalke showed conceptual drawings identifying what the memorial would look like and where on the grounds of city hall it would be planted. The memorial would be 40’x32’ or 30’x20’ (depending on chosen site) and consist of a granite memorial, a U.S. flag, a POW flag and flags from each of the five branches of the military.

 

Bigalke said the timeframe to have the memorial finished is for Freedom Days of 2020, the 100th anniversary of the American Legion.

 

City Administrator Greg Pruszinske asked council to approve an extension of the Kwik Trip conditional use permit for one year starting May 2.

 

Pruszinske said one year ago, Kwik Trip was granted a CUP for the construction of a store and fuel station. He said Kwik Trip has hit a few snags in the process, but still shows good faith in attempting to utilize the CUP for purchasing the property.

 

Jamie Cassidy said the BCC has a 15+ year-old, outdate security camera system in need of replacement.

 

Cassidy said with the city’s recent installation of their new camera system using Pro-Tec Design — he would like to connect and integrate a BCC system tying into the city’s system.

 

Cassidy said he, Rob Zils and Chief Brent Baloun met with Pro-Tec Design to create a security camera system and was quoted a cost of $21,804.26 to install 12 cameras at the BCC along with a recording server.

 

Funding for the system has been budgeted for the BCC in 2018.

 

Joe Danielson asked council to approve a resolution authorizing the City of Becker to partner with Sherburne County with a SCORE Funding 2018 Grant Agreement.

 

Danielson said Becker works with the county, along with Big Lake, Zimmerman and Elk River with this grant agreement. The grant is designed to help provide funds for reimbursement, covering the costs of maintaining the compost site. Reimbursable expenses include grinding, hauling, removal of organic waste, securing, maintaining and operating the site along with insurance costs.

 

The grant is not to exceed $30,000.

 

Connie Robinson asked council to approve an ordinance updating the timeframe for discontinuation of utility services.

 

Robinson said the city changed from bi-monthly utility billing to monthly billing in 2018. Since that time, staff has noticed several accounts are more than 90 days delinquent and have substantial balances which are difficult to collect. She said in order to facilitate collections of these accounts, she recommends the city code be changed from 90 days to 60 days for discontinuation of services.

 

“This will allow staff to keep utility accounts more current and stable,” she said.

 

Pruszinzke asked council to consider approving a resolution advocating support for certain legislative issues and proposals. Pruszinske said he had been working with the City of Monticello — as well as other jurisdictions to develop the platform.

 

In the resolution, 12 policy proposals were presented and three funding proposals. The policy proposals included state mandate relief, adequate funding for transportation, growth management and annexation, broadband, ROW management, public infrastructure utilities, administrative fines for code violations, organized solid waste collection, impaired waters, economic development/redevelopment, carbon reduction facilities — nuclear energy and government data practices and retention.

 

The three funding proposals include expansion of I-94 to Monticello, improve connectivity between Hwy. 10 and I-94, and inland rail economic development and job stabilization and growth act of 2018.

 

Council decided to approve the resolution identifying three policy and three funding proposals to support. The three policy subjects were state mandated relief, broadband and carbon reduction facilities — nuclear energy.

 

IP Road Improvements

Pruszinske asked council to approve an improvement project to Hancock Street South to meet existing and future transportation demands of the Becker Industrial Park.

 

He presented funding proposals in House File 3342 and Senate File 2970 to assist the city to transition away from a coal-based economy and improve infrastructure.

 

The next Becker City Council meeting is April 3 at 6 p.m.