The Becker City Council met Tuesday to discuss dog quarantine times, library hours, two CUPs, their 2016 audit, well searches and insurance renewals.

 

Community Development Coordinator Jacob Sanders said council and the planning commission reviewed a CUP for a planned unit development known as River Bend in 2005. The subdivision was designed to be completed in phases. 

 

The first phase was final platted, but approximately half of the development are still platted as “outlots”. To date, only four single family homes and two quad home (eight units) have been constructed. 

 

The original developer is no longer involved with the subdivision. The land was forfeited and reverted back to the bank. Most recently, the property was sold to a new developer wishes to complete a final plat on the remaining single family and quad home outlots and begin construction on additional quad homes. In order to move forward with any new construction on the lots, the original CUP and final plat resolutions need to be amended for clarification and update of the conditions. 

 

Jacobs says of the 27 conditions in the original resolutions, three troublesome conditions all related to the style of homes that are allowed to be built with proposed house plans, need amending.

 

Those amendments include allowing the developer to provide a mixture of house elevations throughout the development. Also, the project must be built in accordance with the preliminary plat and supporting documents, including lowest floor elevations and finally covenants for the property must be established and recorded to ensure buildings are built to zoning standards and meet preliminary plat elements.

 

Becker Officer Chris Lindbloom made city staff aware of a difference between Becker city code and state rules in regards to the quarantine time required for dog bites. 

 

City code requires 14 days while state rules require 10 days. Lindbloom requested a change to city code to match the state’s 10 days as the four extra days add additional checks on the dog for officers and can be confusing to owners who are aware of the 10-day state rule.

 

Tuesday, Clerk Julie Blesi asked Mayor Tracy Bertram to open a public hearing to hear from the public, which she did, but nobody from the audience stood to speak.

 

A motion and second to adopt the new ordinance amendment and summary for publication was made.

 

Jeanette Burkhardt  from the Becker Public Library was at the council meeting to talk about a survey she sent out to the public in regards to library hours.

 

Burkhardt reminded the city and citizens the library is open 30 hours a week. The current schedule is: Mon. and Thurs., 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Tues., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wed., 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Fri., 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Sat., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

The survey asked those interested if they were okay with the current hours or if they’d like to see a change by adding earlier hours, later hours or swith open hours from day to day.

Burkhardt said if they add more hours to one day, they’d have to take hours from another day to keep it at 30 hours a week.

 

Brad Falteysek from Abdo, Eick & Meyers presented the 2016 audited financial statements and management letter and a staff brief addressing several items which came up during the preliminary audit report.

 

The management discussion and analysis and the separate management letter document the financial highlights for the year. Falteysek encouraged council members to thoroughly review this section as it provides an overview of the year's financial highlights while Falteysek summarized some of the points to be covered.

 

The staff brief included several processes A, E & M would like to see addressed in regards to the golf course. One was the time period for payments, another was authorized bank signatories, another was inventory reconciliation and another was golf course deposits.

 

The 2016 financial statements and management letter were reviewed by the budget and finance committee May 18 and approved.

 

Sanders said the City of Becker planning commission and council reviewed a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a planned unit development known as Woodland Meadows in 2007. The CUP and preliminary plat for the subdivision was approved by council resolution, but since the time of approval, no lots were final platted. The development reverted back to the bank and has not moved forward. 

 

Jacobs said the city zoning code  allows council to revoke a CUP if work has not commenced within one year and if conditions are not being met.

 

 With the goal of preparing the property for future development, Jacobs said planning staff recommends the revocation of the CUP to remove the requirements that are no longer appropriate. This allows the property to be developed in a fashion that is in line with current or future market demands. Future developments will still need to meet the city's current zoning requirements, but will have more freedom on subdivision design and density.

 

For several years, Dave Pesola and his staff at the WWTF have been researching and conducting well borings in and around the city in order to find a suitable location for an additional municipal well. Recently efforts have been concentrated on areas on the east side of the Elk River in close proximity to an existing privately-owned irrigation well which yields an abundance of good quality water. 

 

However, it appears that in order to "tap" into the same water vein as the irrigation well, the city would have to purchase a large amount of land (40+ acres) from the owner.

 

In 2009, SEH conducted a well site study and produced a technical memorandum. The study was limited to an area on the east side of the Elk River bordered by Co. Rd. 24 to the south, 97th Street to the north, the Elk River to the west, partially bounded by an unnamed stream to the east.

 

Staff is proposing to have SEH do a well site study which will involve a much greater area in all directions around the City of Becker. With the information and recommendations compiled, staff will be able to make decisions based on the current study as to where would be the best places to do more exploratory well borings. 

 

Pesola included in the council packet an agreement letter from SEH which details the new well site study. Funds for the study will be taken from the contracted services line item in the 2017 water supply operations budget. $ 25,000 was budgeted for contracted services and SEH’s estimate for the well borings is around $12,500.

 

Connie Robinson asked council to approve the 2017-18 workers’ comp and liquor liability insurance renewal policies.

 

Robinson said the total premium for workers' compensation is $75,734. Last year's premium was $90,225. This is a savings of $14,491. The savings is attributed to the city’s safety committee and their continuing focus on safety in the workplace. 

 

The liquor liability amount is $7,969, up from $2,758 last year. This is due to higher estimated receipts.

 

• Pesola (11 years) and Hunter Breidenbach (one year) were honored for their service anniversaries with the WWTF;

 

• Mayor Bertram read aloud a document proclaiming next week as Freedom Days week in the City of Becker.

 

The next Becker City Council meeting is June 20 at 6 p.m.