Rural Tranquility

Where Small City Charm Meets Big Ambitions

Offering the best of rural tranquillity and big city amenities, the city of Becker is only 40 minutes from Minneapolis and the bustling Twin Cities metro area. “We have a robust system of park land that is really second to none for a city our size, we have a strong sense of community, and an excellent school district,” portrays Mayor Mark Kolbinger. “Becker is a great place to live, and a great place to raise a family. A lot of people that grow up here choose to make this their permanent home.”

It is impossible to describe Becker without remarking on the spirit of determination and perseverance that guides this thriving Minnesota community and its leadership. Sharing a piece of advice that resonates with him – “Good is the Enemy of Great”-  Mayor Kolbinger emphasizes, “Everybody wants to live in a good place, but people can get complacent with something being good. I could not be prouder of what our city has done and continues to do, and the way that our staff focuses on not just doing something that’s good enough. We have a growth mindset.”

Navigating Change- From Coal to Tech

One of the biggest challenges Becker has faced is the planned decommissioning of its largest taxpayer, the Sherco Generating Station, owned by Xcel Energy. With the power plant contributing approximately 65% of the city’s tax base, its gradual closure, scheduled between 2023 and 2030, has spurred transformation of the city’s economy, inviting new opportunities to the region.

Recognizing the need for proactive solutions, the city  secured a $20 million state bond appropriation to build infrastructure that would attract new businesses to the industrial park. This effort has already yielded remarkable results, with Amazon and Microsoft each purchasing 300-acre parcels to establish hyperscale data centers.

City Administrator, Greg Lerud, stresses, “That is significant. Number one, it diversifies the economy here. Number two, the data centers themselves are very interested in clean energy, and that’s what Xcel is proposing to replace the coal with, wind and solar generation. In addition to the property being really well suited for a data center, with very large tract parcels, those clean energy goals were significant in attracting them here.”

Mayor  Kolbinger asserts, “We’ve always had a lot of forward thinking when it comes to our industrial park. So, when others have said no, Becker has always found a way to say yes. I think history would prove that this has led to many mutually beneficial relationships between businesses and the city. Our staff has done a phenomenal job of preparing us well for the future. So as a result, Becker has earned a reputation as a great place to do business, and when people come here, they find out it’s a great place to live as well.”

Strategic Development and Infrastructure Investment

Although the city lacks a traditional downtown, it has a well-defined commercial corridor along Highway 10. In 2012, Becker adopted a Highway 10 Corridor plan that contemplated creating a greater sense of place along this stretch. The city continues to work on identifying appropriate development strategies that will strengthen this corridor and further enhance development and economic growth.

According to Community Development Director Jacob Sanders, the current vision for the corridor is to enhance connectivity, promote mixed-use development, and strengthen the local economy by making the area more inviting.

“We definitely have some goals and action items identified. It’s just working on those and building them out over time,” he explains. “I think it’ll probably morph into something different over the coming years, but we certainly looked at that as part of our comprehensive plan.”

As the city evolves, infrastructure investment is another priority. Recent projects include a four-year, $20 million investment in utilities for the industrial park and an ongoing $2 million annual street improvement initiative.

Sanders acknowledges the need for continued focus on residential development, keeping pace with growth. To encourage this, he says Becker is currently overhauling existing zoning and subdivision codes to make the process easier for developers. “It contemplates mixed use in some spots on the commercial corridor that would allow for some mixed residential or business,” he details. “We are also looking at how to be a little more flexible on some larger parcel development.”

The city also owns 212 acres of land and is working on a property development plan to assist in accommodating anticipated future residential growth. Two years ago, Becker facilitated a major housing project by selling available land adjacent to the Becker Community Center for $1. “Presently we have one 52 unit apartment building built on it,” Lerud elaborates.

“Another one is under construction, and eight of 22 twin home lots have homes built on them.” In addition, the Public Works Department is working on the utilities side to ensure the infrastructure is in place to handle this growth.

“From a land use standpoint, we have some vacant pieces left,” relays Sanders. “We’ve had a number of pieces that had remained vacant for years that have been developed. So, we’re seeing some reinvestment in the community and new investment by businesses. That’s helping build up our commercial sector, and as a result, positively impacts all our businesses. Also the industrial park, and what’s occurring over there, will have positive impacts on our local economic growth as well.”

Building a Sustainable Future

Home to hundreds of acres of parkland and surrounded by the largest solar farm in Minnesota, Becker is also taking steps towards sustainability. “We have transitioned into that clean energy sector, which really fits with Becker’s history,” expresses Mayor Kolbinger. The city’s wastewater treatment facility features an 11-acre solar panel installation that offsets operational costs.

“The community is already built in a way that is very sustainable in terms of if we’re adding housing, industrial use, commercial, we already have many of the amenities in place,” he relays. “Our wastewater treatment facility has a lot of unused capacity already. That’s something that over the past 25 years, we’ve made sure was not a barrier to additional development.”

Financial Stability and Long-Term Planning

To mitigate the economic impact of losing Sherco, Becker has implemented a long-term financial strategy. “With the decommissioning of unit two, kind of the first domino to fall, there were a lot of unknowns of how that would affect our tax capacity and our tax rate,” admits Finance Director Mark Ebensteiner.

“We put together a very comprehensive long-term plan, built on a lot of assumptions of what we see happening as  the units decommission, and a lot of planning on the capital side. We fully understand what that investment looks like, from our streets to our parks, to our community center and golf course. So, we did a lot of planning of where that capital piece would flow in.”

The city has successfully secured electric generation transition aid from the state and recently saw an upgrade in its bond rating to Aa3, reflecting its strong financial planning. “Our strategic goal moving forward is to become less reliant on that large taxpayer, and transition that into other taxpayers, be it the data center side and all of those pieces,” Ebensteiner conveys. “There’s nothing better than explaining to a resident that the sky isn’t falling, we have a plan, and here’s the data set that supports a lot of our assumptions.”

 Strengthening Community Ties and Shaping Tomorrow

Mayor Kolbinger highlights the important role of community organizations in shaping Becker’s vibrancy. “We have incredible partnerships with our nonprofit sector,” he says.

“We have over 40 nonprofit organizations in the city. Our faith community, our church community, really works tirelessly to cooperate and collaborate with us, and our chamber of commerce is extremely active, and they’re willing to be a key partner with us to make sure that everybody’s moving in the same direction and doing what we can for our community.”

Looking ahead, Becker is committed to smart growth, with a focus on business attraction, infrastructure expansion, and community enhancement. “Our staff comes up with some really creative ideas and ways to make this happen, through relationships and building these partnerships,” Mayor Kolbinger remarks.

“Our road map is to keep being really good at communicating and building partnerships with businesses and community groups, and just to continue to work as hard as we can to make our community as good as it can be.”

AT A GLANCE

Who: Becker, Minnesota
What: A city embracing growth and working to diversify its economy.
Where: Sherburne County, Minnesota
Website: www.ci.becker.mn.us