Becker County Board approves $100,000 for new comprehensive land-use plan
Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The Becker County Board approved up to $100,000 to create a new comprehensive land-use plan for the county that will also include suggestions for corresponding zoning and subdivision ordinance changes.
During an Aug. 1 county board meeting, commissioners met with members of Bolton and Menk, an engineering, planning and consulting firm based in Fargo, to discuss why a new comprehensive plan would help the county manage future growth.
Moria Hauenstein, a senior planner with Bolton and Menk, said the new plan would provide a long-term vision for the county and become a tool for developers as they plan out their next projects.
“We’re very excited, not just for us to be working with you, but for (Becker County) because we believe this is a very important step” said Hauenstein. “Doing the comprehensive land-use plan and the zoning together is really brilliant because you really take control over how the process and development occurs with a long-term vision.”
She also said she believed Bolton and Menk could have the new comprehensive plan completed within 14 months and they would also be able to help the county craft a new short-term rental policy.
“I spent two years drafting the short-term rental ordinance for Washoe County which is in northern Navada and it’s become the model cod for Airbnb and a lot of the west coast jurisdictions,” she said. “And we can help you with housing availability, diversity and attainability and definitely balancing interests between the natural resources and growth.”
Becker County Board Chair Barry Nelson said the county currently has a comprehensive plan that is very rarely referenced, so he didn’t think it would be a good use of taxpayer dollars.
“If this was just a comprehensive plan, I wouldn’t support it,” said Nelson. “Because we’ve had a comprehensive plan on the shelf and I can probably tell you how many times we’ve referenced it during this board meeting and it’s not very often … it’s not a document that’s heavily used and to spend significant money on it is, in my opinion, not a good use of funds.”
Hauenstein said they would make the new plan much more user friendly and pairing plan with possible ordinance changes should be done at the same time because the plan and ordinance need to be in sync otherwise it would violate a state statute.
“Comprehensive land-use plans are needed to establish future growth,” said Hauenstein. “Where are you going and what’s your roadmap? And they sit on that dusty shelf and they are not used because they are not designed to be usable. We do it differently. We actually create a digital version of it that’s available, readable and present 24/7. We are text light and graphic heavy … and the zoning has to comply with the comprehensive plan. It is a requirement in statute.”
She also said the engineering firm would start their process by seeking comments from members of the community about how they would like to see land-uses and ordinances evolve in Becker County over the next 20 years.
Ultimately, commissioners unanimously approved the $100,000 in funds for the new comprehensive plan and ordinance suggestions from Bolton and Menk.
Richard Vareberg, commissioner for District 4, was absent from the meeting and did not cast a vote.
West Fargo firefighters battle blaze at landfill site
Firefighters in West Fargo will spend several days managing a controlled burn after equipment and brush caught fire at the city’s inert landfill.
West Fargo Fire crews were called to the 800 block of 26th Street NW for a vehicle fire.
Upon arrival, first responders discovered some equipment was fully engulfed in flames and the fire had spread to a brush pile.
A department spokesperson said crews began a defensive attack against the fire, but were unsuccessful due to high heat and wind gusts.
The fire is expected to burn with heavy smoke for several days.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Fargo gunman had 2 interactions with law enforcement since 2021
The gunman who killed a Fargo police officer, wounded two other officers and a civilian reportedly admitted to owning nearly a dozen guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition in a 2022 police interview following a kitchen fire at his home.
According to a report provided to The Associated Press on Wednesday by the City of Fargo Fire Department, firefighters who responded to the scene notified Fargo police after seeing guns, ammunition and propane tanks in Mohamad Barakat’s apartment.
In his Sept. 6, 2022 fire report, Fargo Battalion Chief Jason Ness noted what appeared to be “a significant amount of gun ammunition,” “multiple ‘assault style’ rifles,” a 20-pound propane cylinder in a bedroom, a second smaller propane cylinder in the kitchen, as well as, a “funnel, blender, and other items that looked to be for measuring purposes.”
Ness also wrote in his report: “The individual admitted to owning approximately 10 guns and 6,000 rounds of ammunition. My decision to refer the issue to PD was based on the presence of the guns, several high capacity magazines, and the presence of propane tanks with no means of using the tanks for cooking or grilling.”
The Fargo Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding their 2022 interview with Barakat, however, in a previous interview, Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski said that he believed police had prior contact with Barakat, but it was, quote, “not anything significant.”
The 2022 fire was at least the second time authorities interviewed Barakat about his guns.
The FBI and Fargo Police Department said last week that the FBI received an anonymous tip about Barakat in July 2021 in which concerns were expressed about his mental state, that he had access to a ”significant number of firearms” and that he had used threatening language.
Fargo police detectives visited Barakat, who “denied any ill-intentions,” according to the statement.
The FBI and FPD said that because there was no evidence of ongoing illegal activities or indications of an immediate threat, no further action was taken at the time.
Wrigley has said it appears Barakat legally purchased his guns.
St. Cloud woman pleads guilty to murder of her 3-month-old child
A woman pled guilty to killing her three-month-old child in a Stearns County courtroom on Wednesday.
28-year-old Fardoussa Omar Abdillahi of St. Cloud pled guilty to one count of second-degree murder with intent and then Judge Sarah Hennesy dismissed a charge of first-degree murder.
Leighton Broadcasting’s KNSI News in St. Cloud was in the courtroom when Abdillahi testified that she was hearing voices on November 27th and 28th, 2021.
Through an interpreter, she told the court that voices told her to strap her three-month-old son into a car seat and leave him in her car outside.
She told the judge she became worried and went to retrieve him from the vehicle. However, hours later, she testified that she again heard a voice, grabbed a knife and cut her son’s throat.
Abdillahi then said she put the child’s body in a trash bag and threw him in the garbage. After that, she told the court she called her mother and told her what happened.
Investigators found the child’s body, knives and bloody bedding in a dumpster behind the woman’s apartment building.
Abdillahi will be sentenced on October 18th with guidelines calling for her to serve between 21 and 30 years in prison.
Abdillahi’s lawyer said they will argue for a sentence below the guidelines the next time they’re in front of the judge.
Abdillahi has undergone multiple mental health examinations and has been ruled competent to stand trial. Defense attorneys say they will use mental illness as to why she should serve less time behind bars.
Abdillahi was born in Djibouti and speaks Somali. She is also not a U.S. citizen and will likely be deported after she serves whatever sentence is imposed by the court.
Sale and manufacture of incandescent light bulbs ends as federal regulations go into effect Aug. 1
Thomas Edison’s pioneering incandescent light bulb, which provides illumination by heating a filament until it glowed, may begin fading into history.
New federal rules governing the energy efficiency of lighting systems went into full effect Aug. 1, effectively ending the sale and manufacture of bulbs that trace their origin back to an 1880 Edison patent.
The big winners of the loss of the incandescent light bulbs are likely to be more efficient and longer-lasting LED bulbs. The rules don’t affect incandescent bulbs that you already own.
Only roughly 5% of the energy used by an incandescent bulb produces light; the remaining 95% or so is lost as heat.
The bulbs are also known to burn out frequently, requiring replacement roughly every year.
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