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Developer Larry Beach saw  his request to have the North Branch City Council revise the urban service area and amend the Comp Plan tabled last week, due to a council member being absent.  Mayor Kevin Schieber recommended the votes be delayed until Kelly Neider could participate. The actions should have a full five members present, the mayor argued.

Council can discuss the developer’s needs some more during the Feb. 27 council meeting but Beach was advised the vote may not happen until March 12.

Sunrise (River) Bluffs is a three part project and parts one and two are built;  with everybody agreeing the completed neighborhoods are beautiful. The revisions needed to eliminate the requirement the new lots hook up to city sewer and water (Municipal Urban Service Area) have the potential of greatly reducing city revenue.  There’d be 32 homes versus 104 potentially under existing MUSA code standards for developments.  

Council heard that the plan has been for two to four units per acre in this area north of #95 and west of the freeway.  Infrastructure was extended and treatment plants for water were built and Interim City Administrator Jason Ziemer cautioned council the fiscal impact from the requests are “the city’s biggest concern.”

But some on the council pointed out the section Beach wants to buildout ought to resemble two plats flanking the undone area.  These are big lot, with individual septic and water systems.

Council member Robert Canada noted the large lot development generates property tax income from expensive homes and this has to be considered in balance with lost future sewer and water revenue.

Mayor Schieber said he watched archived video and records of meetings in and around 2016, and decisions seem to have been made for  Beach’s first and second phases that “put the city in a difficult position.”   His impression was the council was ‘confused’ and he found no real justification for the development happening the way it did.  He added that if standards are frequently changed (ie:MUSA city services) “...then there is no standard.”

Fire Chief Pat Heinen and Chief of Police Dan Meyer used time allotted on the agenda to discuss public safety grant expenses.  North Branch qualified (per capita formula) for about half a million dollars from the state in one time funds for public safety needs.  Personnel wages and on-going budget costs don’t qualify for the grant,  but there are other needs the chiefs recommended.  Turnout gear over two years, training equipment, a squad car, outfitting a car, civil defense siren coverage expansion, a speed readout trailer and more are on the proposal list.

Council expressed consensus for spending $353,942 and keeping the rest as a balance for other items.  

In regular session after a workshop held informally for discussions, council voted 3-1 with Neider not voting and Council member Peter Schaps opposed— to hire Kraus Anderson for a facility needs study.  This was included in the 2024 budget.

The review of existing space and square footage to meet future needs will be done in several weeks with a price tag of $35,000 for the main departments of city hall, public works and public safety.  Analysis of a community center is an extra $14,000 which was an alternative quote and was also authorized.  Mayor Schieber called this step an “analytical approach to the next 10 years” of city structural and operational needs.

And, putting a city primary back into the election events cycle was debated but not acted on.  If council wishes to bring back a primary for city offices, the staff needs to know to draft an ordinance.  Otherwise everybody who files simply runs on the general ballot and the biggest vote-getter wins.   This issue may continue to be discussed but nothing is moving forward at this time.

Vacancies on the EDA were filled appointing Nile Lagrange and Marshall Saunders.  The planning commission has a new member in Steve Cich.

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