Orderly Annexation

Do you know where you live? I think if you ask anyone who lives in the Becker area where you are from they will tell you Becker. Although everyone is correct there are two Becker “entities”. There are those people who reside within the city limits are from the City of Becker. A good number of residents of our community reside in Becker Township, even more in terms of numbers, than within the city itself.

As the city grows and expands its boundaries we go through a process of annexation. This moves the political boundaries of the city out to include additional properties. Generally speaking as a matter of policy the city has only annexed property that has petitioned to be annexed. There may come a time when that policy isn’t practical but it is not the intention of the city to annex property for the sake of annexation. Property owners petition for annexation for a number of reasons but primarily it is for development with water and sewer utilities.

The Becker City and Township have recognized that the community should grow in an orderly fashion. We also recognize that development in an urban fashion is more efficient and reduces the need for services to be applied over an expanded area. They further recognize that the Community of Becker includes both the township area and the city. In realizing this, the relationship between the governing bodies has been good. We have an Annexation Committee that is jointly served by both groups. Annexations are reviewed by this body to determine if a need exists and the process of annexation is done in a joint fashion. Both the council and the township board adopt a joint resolution that is sent to the state for boundary adjustments.

In furthering our relationship an Orderly Annexation Agreement is being considered. This agreement provides for the eventual annexation of the entire township. In saying that, the plan for annexation will continue as it has been with annexation as petitions are received and the need for annexation is demonstrated. This places the properties in Becker Township in waiting to eventually be part of the City of Becker and the Community that we live in.

A public informational meeting with be held at 6:30 in the Becker City Hall on October 2^nd. This meeting will be a joint meeting between the Becker Township Board of Supervisors and the Becker City Council. The meeting will be held to consider any comments concerning the proposed Orderly Annexation Agreement. Those persons interested are invited to attend.

Sherco Electric Generating Plant

We sometimes take for granted the marvel of a power plant we have in our backyard here in Becker. The power plant in Becker, known as Sherco, was named after Sherburne County. It is the largest power plant in the state of Minnesota. This plant is the 15thth largest power plant in the entire county! With the plant sitting on 4500 acres of property it is difficult to get the proper perspective to see how large it really is.

Sherco contains three generation units. Units 1 and 2 generate each 750 megawatts. These were built in the 1970's. These units cost at the time of construction $370 million. Unit 3 was built in 1983 to 1987. Sherco 3 cost approximately $1 billion to construct. This unit generates 900 megawatts of power. The combined total of electricity generated at Sherco is 2,400 megawatts.

The plant burns coal at a rate of 30,000 tons everyday. That can be up to 3 train loads of coal. This works out to about 9 million tons of coal a year. The coal used is a low sulfur bituminous western coal to keep pollution levels down. The coal comes to Becker by train from Montana and Wyoming in 105 to 117 car train loads. A train car of coal holds up to 120 tons. There is a 88 acre coal storage pile at Sherco usually having a 40 to 55 day supply on hand for the plant.

The boilers that produce the steam are more than 200 feet tall. The boilers in units 1 and 2 weigh about 8 million pounds each. Unit 3's boiler weighs about 9.8 million pounds. All three boilers combined burn more than 1,300 tons of coal per hour. They also use about 3,335,000 gallons of water an hour to produce steam. The steam produced in units 1 and 2 is about 5 million pounds per hour at 1000 degrees of temp. Unit 3 produces 6.125 million pounds of steam per hour.

So when your driving down Highway 10 and you see the plant off to the south of the highway consider what an engineering marvel it actually is. An besides providing tax base to Becker it benefits us all with electricity to serve our daily needs.

New Law Enforcement Tool

Over the past several years the legislature, in balancing their budget, starting adding surcharges to traffic tickets as a way of generating revenues. What used to be a $80 traffic ticket quickly increased to perhaps $125. As the costs for tickets increased so too were the complaints to police officers, county attorneys and even judges. In addressing hardships the courts sometimes reduced the ticket fine amount. When a reduction was made the state share of the fine couldn't be reduced but the local share could and did.

Over time the inequity of who was doing the work of enforcement and who was collecting the fine revenue became too much for some jurisdictions to tolerate. They created an Administrative Citation structure where fine amounts for minor offenses were drastically reduced and the funds collected would be collected by the jurisdiction doing the work. This structure did more than just create a revenue source as it gives police officers another tool to use towards adjusting behavior of those making minor violations. Rather than a ticket with a large price tag or a warning there is something in between. A modest financial penalty becomes an option.

The program is however voluntary. A person who is subject to a ticket has the option of a regular ticket or an Administration Citation. In assuming the Administrative Citation the person admits to the offense and pays the penalty. In doing so the citation is exempt from Minnesota driving records and is only recorded with the local police. The penalty must be paid within 7 days or a state ticket will be mailed out to you. If you feel the ticket is unwarranted or wish to contest it, a state ticket will be issued and your due process rights will be addressed in the court system just as it has been done in the past.

The City of Becker has joined a number of law enforcement agencies throughout the state in establishing this system of citations. There are some individuals who contend cities do not have the authority to take this approach while there are others who feel in absence of a law restricting its use it is acceptable. Time may tell if and when the legislature weighs in on this issue but for now the city has another tool to use in curbing minor offenses within the city.