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.” 3 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04 BECKER, MN
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