During open forum, Bryan Zachman spoke during the Becker City Council Meeting Tuesday regarding a variance he had requested for a six foot fence. The current city ordinance allows for a four foot fence. He wanted to put up a tall fence so his kids could play in the yard without his having to worry about the people walking by. He also wanted the privacy the fence would offer. 

Later in the meeting, staff requested that council deny Zachman’s petition for a variance, given that he had failed to meet the requirements for the variance and because they were concerned about many other citizens asking for a similar variance all at once. Instead, they proposed discussing the issue again at the next planning and zoning meeting, later in the month, in the interest of changing the ordinance itself so Zachman, and other residents, would not need to request a variance to erect a six-foot fence. 

Given that, council denied the variance request and encouraged Zachman to continue to attend the meetings so his voice would be heard while considering changes to the ordinance. They also directed staff to make sure the permit he had received to put up a fence stayed viable for as long as necessary for Zachman to erect the fence.

Snuffy’s Landing Park Pavillion

For some time now, the Becker Lions Club has been making monthly donations to the city in order to construct a Lions Park at Snuffy’s Landing. The project hopes to preserve Snuffy’s Landing as well as add some new amenities that would encourage people to visit the historic site.

Earlier this year, the DNR donated a floating dock for use at the site. However, the first permanent change will be coming soon, as the Lions requested work be started on a pavilion. 

The pavilion would have a concrete base with a steel-lined roof (to try to keep the birds from nesting inside.) City staff has already run the plans by the DNR, who, unofficially, commented that they saw no issues with the plan, even though a variance was needed due to its proximity to the water. The DNR officer spoke and noted that the pavilion would not be in a location that was likely to flood in the case of high waters. The DNR did need the city to approve the placement before they could submit any formal comments on the plan, however. 

Phil Knutson, who has taken the lead on this project, said that the hope was to eventually have permanent restrooms attached to the pavilion, though not right away. He also said that the Lions would soon be collecting stories about the founding of Snuffy’s Landing in order to create a history wall explaining how the landing was established and its significance to the city. 

Knutson also stated that he was excited about this project because he wanted to get the name of the Lions Club out in the community, in recognition of all the good things they do for the community.

Preliminary 2022 Levy

Mark Evbensteiner of the finance dept. presented the preliminary 2022 levy, which had a general increase of about 10% over this year’s levy. An expected increase of property values by about 9.3% will also affect homeowners. For example, a $300,000 value home in 2021 would be worth about $321,000 now (this is not an official number.) It is expected that the owner of the $300,000 home (of 2021) will pay about $1,388 this year, an increase of $155.

The public hearing for the 2022 levy will be held December 7 at 6 p.m.

Land Sale to T. J. Potter

During the last meeting, council agreed to lease a portion of city land to T. J. Potter, via Potter Investments, with the interest of T. J. Potter purchasing the land sometime in the future. During Tuesday’s council meeting, T. J. Potter officially asked to purchase the land, moving forward with the purchase much sooner than expected. They wished to connect their parcels of land as they expanded. 

Committee Reports

Budget and finance reported that the BCC was continuing to bounce back, and golf continued to do phenomenally. Water revenues are up as the drought continues, despite the rain that helped to ease the intensity. Water shutoffs will resume this month, after not shutting off any water due to the pandemic.

Mayor Tracy Bertram reported giving legislators a tour of city hall as a part of the process of applying for a grant to be used for changes at the intersection of Highways 25 and 10, on the west side of the city. 

The Police Committee had a lot to report. The department is now fully staffed, having added two officers to the team. These officers came to Becker from other departments, so they are already very experienced. The department was also able to fill their lieutenant position, which has been open for a long time, by promoting one of the Becker officers, Chris Lindbloom, into the position. 

The new ATV permit ordinance seems to be doing well so far. By the end of August, 16 individuals had applied for the permit to drive their ATVs on city streets. There were also several requests from individuals who lived outside the city, such as in Becker Twp., who wanted to purchase the permits. They were ultimately allowed to do so, though staff cautioned that Becker Twp. and Sherburne County had their own laws that applied to their roads, and the permit did not allow individuals to use their ATVs on land outside the city. Motorists need to be aware of, and follow, all laws.

Finally, the department has had a mental health specialist riding along with officers on occasion. Should the officer be called to respond to a mental health situation, the specialist could help in that situation. The individual does work with other police departments as well, and so will not always be available to respond to Becker calls, but it is hoped that they will be able to direct officers and those with mental health issues to the proper resources within the county. The program has so far been doing well.