A possible change to meeting days, a public hearing for an alcohol violation and an update to the criminal justice data network were among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Becker City Council meeting.

 

Clerk Julie Blesi brought forth a resolution proposing to change the meeting dates from Tuesdays at 5 p.m. to Mondays at 6 p.m. following direction she received from council at the Aug. 18 executive session workshop.

 

Discussions commenced peacefully over the suggestion to move the dates, but then escalated as Member Adam Oliver made a motion to allow recommendations from committees be considered and brought back to council for their consideration before application.

 

Member Tracy Bertram also questioned the change saying many of the city’s vendors and contractors have other obligations on Mondays to other cities and townships and wondered if that could possibly cause conflicts.

 

Oliver agreed with Bertram’s concerns and made a new motion to table the current resolution until the city committees reviewed it and made recommendations.

 

During Oliver’s attempt to make the motion, Mayor Lefty Kleis interrupted Oliver and pounded his gavel to silence Oliver, then proceeded to ask for comments from the other members before Oliver was allowed to proceed.

 

According to Minnesota Statute, the mayor has an obligation to be impartial and objective in conducting the meeting. To maintain this objectivity, mayors can choose to minimize making or seconding motions, and to allow other members of the council to speak before expressing an opinion.

 

Mayor Kleis objected to the recommendations, saying he thought Mondays work best since school activities are typically held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

 

Lori Keller suggested the meetings remain on Tuesdays but with the time changing from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

 

Most members appeared to side with this idea and Oliver motioned to have Blesi create a new 2016 calendar showing the meeting dates changed from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays — not Mondays.

 

The mayor voted “naye”.

 

Council will vote to approve the new resolution from Blesi at their Sept. 15 meeting.

 

Becker Police Chief Brent Baloun asked the mayor to open a public hearing to hear from concerned individuals or storeowners of Jubilee Liquors, who was found to have failed an alcohol compliance check on July 7.

 

John Gilyard, one of the owners of the liquor store, stood at the podium to address council and he apologized for the incident and assured the city the liquor store will not have any future violations. Gilyard said the clerk at the store failed to read the license date because of bad eyes and Gilyard and the other owners recently purchased a drivers license reader (scanner) that will verify age, determine fake IDs and automatically populate fields of an order form.

 

The fine for the compliance check failure is $750 (for first violation) and the clerk/cashier will need to appear in court at a future date for criminal charges.

A consensus of agreement from council for the payment of the fine was reached following the public hearing.

 

Baloun asked council to consider approving a criminal justice data network resolution set to expire in October.

 

The date network is a system which allows the police department to access PORTALS (access to check on criminal histories, driving records, etc.), MRAP (Minnesota Repository of Arrest photographs, department of corrections predatory offender registration website and thier court services. Baloun said this access has been extremely beneficial to the department, allowing them timely access to this information that would have had to be accessed through the sheriff’s department.

 

The City of Becker and the PD has had this agreement in place since 2006 and all that has changed over the years has been some language to reflect the department no longer is being charged a service fee for usage.

 

At council’s workshop, members discussed revisions Treasurer Sarah Brunn executed to the 2016-17 budget while maintaining the majority of the original proposed 2016 operational budgets with proposed cuts in the capital plans and levies.

 

Brunn presented three scenarios, one maintaining a 35% tax rate, another increasing the tax rate to 38% and a third, to create a 38% tax rate but utilizing reserve funding to purchase the Dumont unit.

 

In all scenarios, Brunn says, the golf CIP levy was reduced to $75,000.

 

• A noise ordinance exemption was approved for Becker Public Schools to hold a staff picnic at Pebble Creek Sept. 3 where they would like to play amplified music;

 

• Several community events were announced Tuesday including the Becker Baptist Fun Night (Sept. 9), River City Clean-up Day (Sept. 12), Hog Roast and Car Show (Sept. 13), Farm Friends Barn Project Shoot at Wild Marsh (Sept. 10), Job Growth and Energy Affordability hearing (Sept. 21) and a Becker Furniture World Cruise Night (Sept. 23);

 

• Several service anniversaries were also announced including: Bruce Thompson of public works (21 years), Gerald Lanz of the WWTF (10 years), Police Chief Brent Baloun (nine years), Clerk Julie Blesi (two years), Police Officer Christopher Lindbloom (two years) and City Planner Therese Haffner (one year).

 

The next Becker City Council meeting is Sept. 15 at 5 p.m.