Becker County Board expected to approve 5.96% tax levy increase during meeting on Dec. 19 after Truth In Taxation hearing

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The Becker County Board is expected to approve a 5.96% property tax levy increase for 2024 during their regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

The Board held their Truth In Taxation presentation of the county budget and proposed levy for residents last Thursday.

During the presentation, Becker County Administrator Pat Oman showed commissioners the county tax rate has come down more than 12% since 2009, due mainly to consistent property value increases over the last 14 years.

“The tax rate for 2024 is 28.8446%,” said Oman. “A steady decrease in that tax rate and that has a lot to do with market values and also the levy that we determine. When market values are high, and values continue to increase, even though we are levying dollars and in many cases increasing the levy, that tax rate continues to go down.”

Barry Nelson, chair of the Becker County Board, also pointed out during the discussion that about 3% of this year’s tax levy increase is a carryover from last year’s budget negotiations with county employees, which wasn’t allocated in the budget at that time.

“Last year’s negotiations with employees gave an increase to this year’s budget that wasn’t budgeted last year,” said Nelson. “We are paying last year’s raise that wasn’t in last year’s budget. And really, that’s one of the reasons that this year’s is up where it is … about 3% of this year’s rate is for last year’s payments.”

The 2024 Becker County portion of resident’s property taxes will raise more than $26 million in revenue for the county, about $1.5 million more than last year.

The biggest recipients of that revenue will the county’s revenue fund, which will see a $918,000 increase, and the public safety department, which will see a $680,000 increase.

Becker County’s operating budget is expected to top $68 million in 2024.

Former county commissioner Larry Knutson was the only resident who spoke during the public forum, which he used to criticize increased spending by the board.

“The total picture is that if your assessed values go up, and if the government doesn’t spend any more money, the tax would go down,” said Knutson. “But it gives the government the opportunity to raise more money because the capacity is so much higher by percentage. The values have increased so tremendously that I’m curious to why we even need a tax increase. Except for that, I’d say you guys are spending money like drunken sailors, but I wouldn’t insult the sailors because they spend their own money. You guys are spending our money.”

He also had a response to the increased county employee wage carryover from last year.

“In my mind, you were too excessive in your negotiation,” he said.

Becker County is also slated to receive $1.7 million in state program aid in 2024, which was allocated by the Minnesota Legislature. The amount represents a $400,000 increase in state aid over the previous year.

3 Detroit Lakes residents injured, including 2 children, during crash on Highway 10 east of Verndale

Three Detroit Lakes residents were injured, including two children under the age of 3, after the pickup truck they were riding in struck a deer on Highway 10, east of Verndale, on Saturday evening.

On Dec. 16 at 7:18 p.m., a 2019 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, driven by 38-year-old Nathaniel Lee Lucas of Detroit Lakes, was westbound on Highway 10 at mile maker 102 in Aldrich Township when it struck a deer in the roadway.

Airbags deployed in the pickup during the incident.

Three passengers in the pickup truck, 36-year-old Kimberly Helen Lucas of Detroit Lakes, 3-year-old Farrah Mae Lucas and 1-year-old Wilder Scott Lucas, all suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the crash and were transported to Lakewood Health in Staples for treatment.

Nathaniel Lucas did not report any injuries at the scene.

All four vehicle occupants were wearing seatbelts or appropriate restraints at the time of the collision and law enforcement believes alcohol did not factor into the incident.

St. Michael man convicted of multiple felonies from gun crimes on Spirit Lake Reservation

A jury in Fargo convicted a north central North Dakota man on several counts related to crimes on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation in 2021 and 2022.   

U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider said 21-year-old Nathaniel Azure of St. Michael was found guilty of three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of discharging a gun in a crime of violence, and one count of brandishing a gun in a crime of violence.   

According to prosecutors, Azure was involved in a non-fatal shooting in Fort Totten in January of 2021. His brother, Michael Denne, 25, pleaded guilty to his participation in that shooting and has been sentenced.

On May 21, 2022, Azure assaulted a second person while brandishing a gun in St. Michael. 23-year-old Dantae Whitetail of Minnewaukan pleaded guilty to his role in that assault. He will be sentenced next month.

The next day, Azure was involved in another non-fatal shooting of a third person. Skyla Cavanaugh, a 23-year-old St. Michael woman pleaded guilty to being an accessory to that shooting after the fact, providing false statements to federal agents, and retaliating against a witness. 

“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to combating violent crime in Indian country,” Schneider said. “This guilty verdict is a credit to the dogged determination of our career prosecutors and their colleagues in federal law enforcement.”

Azure will be sentenced in April.

Story by Ryan Janke / KFGO

8th Circuit Court of Appeals denies ND secretary of state in redistricting ruling that affects 2 Native American tribes

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a request from North Dakota’s secretary of state to delay a federal judge’s ruling that found the state’s 2021 redistricting map violated the Voting Rights Act in diluting the voting strength of two Native American tribes.

The court’s denial came Friday, one week before the Dec. 22 deadline set by the federal judge for the state to adopt a new map of legislative districts.

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Nation filed the lawsuit early last year.

After a trial in June in Fargo, U.S. District Chief Judge Peter Welte ruled in the tribes’ favor in November.

Secretary of State Michael Howe is appealing the decision.

The plaintiffs’ attorney Tim Purdon  welcomed Friday’s decision as a “swift denial” and “good news” for the two tribes and the Voting Rights Act.

ND Republican House Majority Leader Mike Lefor said the Legislature won’t be able to satisfy the judge’s Dec. 22 deadline for a new map, given the time that would be needed.

Lefor said: “If we did everything today … no, there’s no way.”

What happens if the deadline passes without a new map is up to the judge, Lefor and Purdon said. The Legislature is not part of the lawsuit, which was filed against the secretary of state.

North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the days ahead will be eventful and consequential as to “what the Legislature decides is their best option, whether it’s just to allow the lines to be imposed by the court, or does the Legislature choose to call themselves in and adopt different lines.” Close quote

An attorney for the plaintiffs, Mark Gaber, said crafting a new map wouldn’t be as complicated as starting from scratch because three or four districts at most would be affected. 

Adding, North Dakota received 35 days from the judge to redraw its map; courts usually give legislatures two weeks. 

After the deadline, the tribes would probably ask the judge to implement one of their proposed maps, he said.

Story by Pat Sweeney / KNOX

Man arrested near West Acres Mall in Fargo Friday; faces multiple charges

Fargo Police arrested a man near West Acres Mall Friday for a number of crimes, including fleeing, drug possession, and theft.   

According to police, officers were called to the West Acres area around 4 p.m. on a report of an impaired driver. Officers found the vehicle and, when the driver made an illegal turn, they tried to make a traffic stop.   

The driver, 25-year-old Bronson Moen, fled, disregarded a stop sign at 38th Street and 17th Avenue S., and hit another vehicle in the intersection.  

Police said Moen then fled on foot before being caught by officers. no one was hurt in the crash.   

Moen was booked into the Cass County Jail.

Story by Ryan Janke / KFGO

ND carbon-capture project receives $350 million from U.S. Dept. of Energy

A proposed North Dakota project for storing greenhouse gas underground has been given a financial jolt. 

The U.S. Department of Energy will award $350 million dollars to Minnkota Power for a carbon capture project near Center, North Dakota.
The goal of Project Tundra is to capture some 4 million metric tons of CO2 from the coal-fired Milton Young power plant – equivalent to the annual emissions of 890,000 gasoline-powered cars. 

The CO2 would then be stored in geologic formations – roughly a mile underground.
The funding is awarded through DOE’s Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program.
Governor Doug Burgum says the technology has the potential to be a game-changer for the state.
Both ND U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer called Project Tundra a vital component to the future of the coal-fired electric industry and another positive innovation for the state’s energy system.
Story by Doug Barrett / KNOX

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