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.

With the creation of the newest industrial park in Becker in 1994 the city has been actively providing land for industrial development. From the land purchased from Fred and Vivian Doering in 1993 the city acquired 121 acres. Of that amount all but 30 acres were developed into lots with roads and utilities. When we look at whats left we have only four platted sites. One site will not be sold as it is the future site for the North Star Corridor Station. One lot of 2.38 acres is adjacent to Advanced Extrusion. This lot is potentially available but there is some interest in it. There are two other 1 acre lots which are under an option until January 1, 2008. It is anticipated this option will be undertaken so these properties will soon be occupied.

This brings us back to the undeveloped 30 acres the city has for future industrial development. The city has been looking at options concerning development of this property for some time. The development of this property is somewhat expensive as it requires higher development costs in needing a lift station for sanitary sewer. Addressing these costs is one issue but another is defining the best approach in development.

The city has recently authorized a study to determine costs, layout and construction time lines for the potential development of this site. The study will determine a layout for proposed sanitary sewer, water main and storm drainage for two different alternatives. The study would also analyze storm water run off from each alternative along with a statement of probable costs. Finally it would identify and calculate the preliminary assessments that would be placed on the property.

Taking these steps moves us in the direction of providing additional land for industrial development and thereby generating tax base and employment. Once the time lines are know for the construction of the project the city will be able to better plan and discuss the development with the city council and potential developers.

I have been speaking quite a bit about the need for water and the problems associated with providing it that we've experienced. Well #5 has failed and needed to checked out to see if it could continue to be used by the city. This is one of our bigger wells. Bringing this well back on line has been interesting and frustrating as there area number of steps to go through to see if the well can be rehabilitated and reused. The city started the process only to determine the well is no longer viable and a new well is needed to be constructed.

Several options have been considered for replacement. The city had been going down the path of constructing a new well on the east side of the river to address future needs. This path of construction had a number of issues which were felt to be workable but required a good deal of coordination with Sherburne County, as we were going to use their right of way, and the Department of Health. When establishing a new public well there are numerous steps that must be undertaken to meet their standards. One of these requirements is a Well Head Protection Plan and subsequent zone. Presently the city has a plan and zone but it doesn't include the proposed well on the east side of the Elk River. Expanding the plan and designating a new zone takes considerable time and effort. Given the need for a replacement well before next summer it was felt it may not be in our best interests to pursue this option at this time. That being said it is important that we move in this direction with a new well field in a different area in the immediate future but we need to focus our energies on what will meet our needs in the shortest time frame.

Looking at our existing wells and present wellhead protection plan it is easier to locate a new well within our existing boundaries of the established zone. Two options were discussed which involve new wells near existing ones which can take advantage of the present well houses and also avoid some of the more lengthly requirements from the Department of Health in establishing a new well. The first option was to build a new well near the existing failed well. This well is located in the golf course. We hope we can find a location where water can be pumped without influence on the other existing wells in this location. The second option would be to replace the small well located in Carl E. Johnson Park off of Riley with a larger well. This too would take advantage of an existing well house. The replacement well could be reused for irrigation of the park as an added benefit.

Both of these options have merit and only upon doing the preliminary pilot wells and hydrology studies will we know if one or both sites will work out. We're optimistic that at least one site will work but until the preliminary work is completed it is difficult to be certain. Establishing a new municipal well is not an inexpensive endeavor. It has been estimated that costs will range from $70,000 to $80,000. This figure could increase if additional piping is needed. The goal is to get a well on line prior to next summer. This is achievable but also means we need to act as quickly as we can.

I want to recognize the efforts of Karla Eggink, the city's Public Works Director and City Engineer, for considering all options and thinking outside of the box. Given the existing use and need for additional water resources, sooner is better. With any luck we'll have some answers for the council to consider at their next meeting.

Milestones

At the city council meeting on August 7, 2007 the council discussed and approved the sale of property along Highway 10 for a proposed bowling alley. The property is between Starcor Credit Union and County Lumber along Bank Street. This is another milestone event for the city when it gets built. The city in the past had done a public opinion survey to ask what businesses the residents wished to see in the city. A bowling alley ranked 7th as a need within the community behind some of the things already accomplished. These included fast food, grocery store, pharmacy and clinic. Having a bowling alley accomplishes another goal and provides an outlet for recreation and entertainment that was lacking in our community.

The proposed facility is contemplated as a 15,000 square foot building that would start with 8 bowling lanes and a 4,000 square foot banquet area. The building would also include a bar/dining area and potential game room. The plans include an expansion for an additional 8 bowling lanes as demand dictates. Mr. Gary Cox, a resident of the Becker community, is the developer on the project. He hopes to start construction next spring.

A lot needs to happen over the next several months to pull all the pieces together. We wish Mr. Cox the best in this pursuit. Having this facility within the community is not only a change in the landscape but another way to bring the community together. Hats off to Mr. Cox for recognizing the need and taking action.

Preliminary Levy

The Minnesota Department of Revenue (DOR) made a large change this year with the way utility and pipeline property is valued. The result of the change involves a devaluation of Investor Owned Utilities in Electric an average of 27%. In Becker the overall reduction in net tax capacity will be 15% by 2010. Given the large decrease in values the rule change made by DOR will be phased in over a 3 year period. In 2008 we’ll see a reduction of 20% of the difference between the old value and new reduced value. For 2009 that difference will increase to 50% and with taxes payable in 2010 the reduction will be complete with the total devaluation, due to the change in rules, taking place.

The city council has been working on a budget that anticipates cutting of some expenditures ($173,900) and a small increase in taxes. The preliminary levy shows an increase of $35,944. This increase is 0.69%. Keeping the increase low is good news but the resulting estimated tax rate, given the reduction in taxable property values, has been estimated to increase from 31.33 to 32.9075. This is an increase in rate of about 1.6.

The council, by law, must set the preliminary levy by September 15, 2007. This means the preliminary levy will be set on September 4th. With the preliminary levy set the amount can not increase but can decrease. The city will continue to look for ways of trimming the budget until the final levy is set at the end of the year. Any feedback the public may have concerning the budget would be appreciated prior to the September 4th meeting and subsequently thereafter.

As many of you know legislation this year was pursued to address the loss of value. A bill was passed in both the House and Senate and included in the final omnibus tax bill. After the session closed the governor vetoed this bill for other reasons. By doing this the rule change became effective and created the loss in value we’re addressing within this budget. As indicated above we have two more years of phasing to address. We also have a strong desire to again seek legislation to resolve the problem of lost value with the legislature next year.