# City of Becker *City in Sherburne County, Minnesota, and host municipality of the Sherburne County Generating Station (Sherco).* Becker, a city in Sherburne County, [[Minnesota]], sits between the Mississippi River and the [[Elk River]]. It counted 4,877 residents in the 2020 census.[^1] [[Xcel Energy]] operates the [[Sherburne County Generating Station]] (Sherco) inside the city, and it is the largest coal-fired power plant in the state.[^2] The plant made up 77% of the city's tax base in 2019. In 2023 it was the source of about two thirds of the city's taxes.[^1] Seven entries in the project's at-issue record concern Becker: - five different published figures for the plant's share of the city's tax base;[^3] - the terms of Minnesota's Electric Generation Transition Aid;[^4] - land bought next to the plant by [[Amazon]] and [[Microsoft]] after [[Google]] withdrew from its own project;[^5][^6][^2] - the 2022 [[Public Utilities Commission]] order retiring Sherco Unit 3;[^7] - a metal shredder moved to Becker, and the fire that followed;[^8] - the fees a county attorney's office collected for prosecuting the city's criminal cases.[^9] The record sets the statute beside what it has delivered. Under Minn. Stat. § 477A.24, transition aid is available only where generation property was at least 4% of a jurisdiction's tax capacity. The aid falls by 5% of its initial amount each year until it drops below $5,000, and then it ends. The at-issue row records that the dollar amounts certified to Becker, Sherburne County and Independent School District 726 have not been verified.[^4] In 2023 the city lobbied the legislature and obtained state aid in anticipation of lower tax receipts from the plant.[^2] The replacement tax base the record documents is land held by Amazon and Microsoft. Amazon suspended its project in May 2025, and Microsoft has disclosed no investment figure.[^5][^6] ## Who [[Xcel Energy]] operates Sherco within the city limits.[^2] At the time of the cached Wikipedia revision, Becker's state and federal representatives were: - [[Andrew Mathews (politician)|Andrew Mathews]], in the [[Minnesota Senate]]; - [[Shane Mekeland]], in the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]]; - [[Tom Emmer]], in Congress, for Minnesota's 6th congressional district. Mathews and Mekeland are both members of the [[Republican Party of Minnesota]].[^10] Independent School District 726 serves the city.[^11] The at-issue entries name these institutions and companies: - the Public Utilities Commission, which issued the 2022 order retiring Sherco Unit 3;[^7] - Google, Microsoft and Amazon, which bought or optioned land next to the plant;[^6] - Northern Metals Recycling, the shredder operator, and the [[Minnesota Pollution Control Agency]], which had ordered its Minneapolis operation shut;[^8][^2] - a [[county attorney]]'s office, which the row identifies as Heaney's, that prosecuted cases for the city.[^9] ## What Becker's property-tax base rests largely on one coal-fired generating station. Because of the plant's tax payments, Becker homeowners pay markedly less in property tax than residents of neighbouring communities.[^2] Proposals to close parts of the plant have circulated since 2015, and the city has prepared for the loss of that revenue. Xcel has announced plans to close the plant by the end of the decade.[^2] In 2020 the Pollution Control Agency listed Becker's ZIP code, 55308, as the state's largest single source of carbon dioxide–equivalent emissions among air-permitted facilities.[^2] ## When - **1867:** the townsite was platted. It takes its name from George Loomis Becker, a state legislator.[^12] - **1870:** a Becker post office has operated since this year.[^12] - **2015:** proposals to close portions of Sherco begin.[^2] - **2019:** Sherco accounts for 77% of the city's tax base.[^1] Northern Metals Recycling moves its operations from [[Minneapolis]] to Becker, after the Pollution Control Agency ordered the Minneapolis site shut over high air-pollution levels.[^2] - **2020:** in late February, a fire at Northern Metals in Becker burns for several days and closes schools.[^2][^8] The census counts 4,877 residents.[^1] - **2022:** the Public Utilities Commission orders Sherco Unit 3 retired.[^7] In late 2022 Google abandons its planned Becker data center.[^2] - **2023:** the city obtains state aid from the legislature. The plant supplies about two thirds of city taxes.[^2][^1] - **February 12, 2024:** Microsoft buys 300 acres originally planned for the Google site.[^2][^6] - **May 2025:** Amazon suspends its Becker project.[^5] ## Where Becker lies 46 miles northwest of Minneapolis and 19 miles southeast of [[St. Cloud]].[^1] Its main highway routes are U.S. Highway 10 and Minnesota State Highway 25, which share a roadway. County Road 23 (Sherburne Avenue) starts in the city.[^13] Amtrak's Empire Builder crosses the city on BNSF tracks but does not stop. Northstar Link Commuter Bus serves Becker between [[Big Lake]] and St. Cloud. A proposed extension of Northstar Commuter Rail to St. Cloud would add a Becker stop.[^13] According to [[United States Census Bureau]] figures, the city's total area is 9.1 square miles.[^13] ## How much - **Amazon:** $73.5 million for 348 acres.[^5] - **Microsoft:** $17.7 million for 300 acres in February 2024. It has disclosed no investment figure.[^6] - **County attorney's office:** $11,078.70 collected for 785 cases in one year, about $14 a case.[^9] - **Electric Generation Transition Aid:** declines by 5% of the initial amount each year and ends below $5,000. The amounts certified to Becker are not verified.[^4] - **Economic development since the 2022 order:** a $150,000 philanthropic grant for a business incubator.[^7] - **Northern Metals:** its operator paid a $2.5 million settlement over its Minneapolis operation.[^8] ## How many - **Population:** 4,877 in 2020, up from 4,538 in 2010.[^1][^14] - **Housing:** 1,726 households and 1,792 housing units in 2020.[^14] - **School enrollment:** 2,697 students in Independent School District 726.[^11] - **Prosecutions:** 785 cases prosecuted for the city by the county attorney's office in one year.[^9] - **Tax-base dependence:** published figures for Sherco's share of the city's tax base are 65%, 68%, 70%, 77% and 98% at peak.[^3][^1] - **Generators:** 250 backup diesel generators were in Amazon's permit request.[^5] ## In the at-issue record - **AI-Sherburne-038.** The row states that a county attorney's office, which it identifies as Heaney's, prosecuted 785 cases for the City of Becker in one year. The office collected $11,078.70 for the work, about $14 a case. The row's only listed source is on patriotnewsmn.com. It flags that the source article's October 2024 dateline postdates the 2022 figures it reports. The pack contains no city or county budget against which the arrangement can be checked.[^9] - **AI-Sherburne-062.** By the county administration's own account, the row says, the plant is roughly 70% of the city's tax base and 12% of the county's. The row lists published dependence figures of 65%, 68%, 70%, 77% and 98% at peak. It attributes them to four institutions, although it lists five figures. Wikipedia gives 77% for 2019 and two thirds of city taxes for 2023.[^3][^1] - **AI-Sherburne-064.** The row sets out the § 477A.24 terms: a 4% tax-capacity threshold, a 5% annual decay, and an end below $5,000. It marks the amounts certified to Becker, Sherburne County and ISD 726 as not verified.[^4] - **AI-Sherburne-066.** Amazon bought 348 acres at Becker for $73.5 million through an intermediary marketed as "[[Elk River Technologies]]", and planned a multibillion-dollar campus. It suspended the project in May 2025, after state regulators declined to fast-track permits for 250 backup diesel generators and the state repealed the data-center electricity sales-tax exemption. Amazon still owns the land.[^5] - **AI-Sherburne-067.** The row states that Google, Microsoft and Amazon each bought or optioned land next to the plant. Microsoft paid $17.7 million for 300 acres in February 2024 and has not disclosed an investment figure. Wikipedia says the timing of Microsoft's data center is unknown.[^6][^2] - **AI-Sherburne-071.** The row states that the Commission's 2022 order retiring Sherco Unit 3 opened a separate docket on site remediation. The order required Xcel to hold stakeholder meetings with the City of Becker and to report on economic development. The economic development the row documents in Becker since then is a $150,000 philanthropic grant for a business incubator. The docket number is not in the pack.[^7] - **AI-Sherburne-072.** The row states three things: - the north Minneapolis shredder was shut down after its operator admitted altering pollution records and paid a $2.5 million settlement; - the state approved the Becker permit over documented resident objections, finding no potential for significant environmental effects; - the environmental review did not model a fire scenario. The row describes the plant as not yet operational when it caught fire. Wikipedia says operations moved to Becker the year before the February 2020 fire.[^8][^2] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker, Minnesota*, lead section (revision 1373542018, retrieved 2026-10-27) — location between the Mississippi and Elk rivers; 2020 population 4,877; distances to Minneapolis and St. Cloud; Sherco share of tax base 77% (2019) and two thirds of city taxes (2023). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker,_Minnesota [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker, Minnesota*, "Business" section (revision 1373542018, retrieved 2026-10-27) — Xcel operation of Sherco; largest coal-fired plant in Minnesota; lower property taxes; closure proposals since 2015; 2023 aid; 2020 MPCA emissions listing; Xcel closure plans; Google withdrawal in late 2022; Microsoft purchase of February 12, 2024; Northern Metals relocation and the February 2020 fire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker,_Minnesota [^3]: Minnesota wiki project, at-issue record, Sherburne package, row AI-Sherburne-062 (from the *Sherburne Energy Brief*; underlying sources on house.mn.gov and lrl.mn.gov, not linked in this pack) — roughly 70% of city tax base and 12% of county's by the county administration's account; figures 65%, 68%, 70%, 77%, 98% at peak. The link is the row's anchor, The White House, *Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse* (March 2025), which does not itself address Becker. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/protecting-americas-bank-account-against-fraud-waste-and-abuse/ [^4]: Minnesota wiki project, at-issue record, Sherburne package, row AI-Sherburne-064 (from the *Sherburne Energy Brief*; underlying sources on revisor.mn.gov and revenue.state.mn.us, not linked in this pack) — Minn. Stat. § 477A.24 terms: 4% threshold, 5% annual decay, end below $5,000; certified amounts not verified. Link is the row's anchor, The White House, *Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse* (March 2025), which does not itself address Becker. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/protecting-americas-bank-account-against-fraud-waste-and-abuse/ [^5]: Minnesota wiki project, at-issue record, Sherburne package, row AI-Sherburne-066 (from the *Sherburne Energy Brief*; underlying sources on house.mn.gov and startribune.com, not linked in this pack) — 348 acres for $73.5 million; intermediary name; May 2025 suspension; 250 backup generators; sales-tax exemption repeal. Link is the row's anchor, The White House, *Restoring Integrity to America's Financial System* (May 2026), which does not itself address Becker. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/05/restoring-integrity-to-americas-financial-system/ [^6]: Minnesota wiki project, at-issue record, Sherburne package, row AI-Sherburne-067 (from the *Sherburne Energy Brief*; underlying sources on startribune.com and datacenterdynamics.com, not linked in this pack) — Google, Microsoft, Amazon land; Microsoft $17.7 million for 300 acres, February 2024; no investment figure disclosed. Link is the row's anchor, The White House, *Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse* (March 2025), which does not itself address Becker. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/protecting-americas-bank-account-against-fraud-waste-and-abuse/ [^7]: Minnesota wiki project, at-issue record, Sherburne package, row AI-Sherburne-071 (from the *Sherburne Energy Brief*; underlying sources on mn.gov and blog.stcloudshines.com, not linked in this pack) — 2022 PUC order retiring Sherco Unit 3; separate site-remediation docket; stakeholder-meeting and economic-development reporting requirement; $150,000 incubator grant. Link is the row's anchor, The White House, *Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse* (March 2025), which does not itself address Becker. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/protecting-americas-bank-account-against-fraud-waste-and-abuse/ [^8]: Minnesota wiki project, at-issue record, Sherburne package, row AI-Sherburne-072 (from the *Sherburne Energy Brief*; underlying sources on pca.state.mn.us, minnpost.com and kare11.com, not linked in this pack; flagged as adjudicated settlement and penalty) — $2.5 million settlement; Becker permit finding; no fire scenario modeled; fire and school closures. Link is the row's anchor, The White House, *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (March 2025), which does not itself address Becker. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/ [^9]: Minnesota wiki project, at-issue record, Sherburne package, row AI-Sherburne-038 (from the *Heaney Brief*; single underlying source on patriotnewsmn.com, not linked in this pack; flagged for an October 2024 dateline reporting 2022 figures) — 785 cases, $11,078.70, about $14 a case. Link is the row's anchor, The White House, *Restoring Integrity to America's Financial System* (May 2026), which does not itself address Becker. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/05/restoring-integrity-to-americas-financial-system/ [^10]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker, Minnesota*, "Government" section (revision 1373542018, retrieved 2026-10-27) — state senator, state representative, party, congressional district and representative. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker,_Minnesota [^11]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker, Minnesota*, "Education" section (revision 1373542018, retrieved 2026-10-27) — Independent School District 726; enrollment 2,697. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker,_Minnesota [^12]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker, Minnesota*, "History" section (revision 1373542018, retrieved 2026-10-27) — platting in 1867, namesake, post office since 1870. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker,_Minnesota [^13]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker, Minnesota*, "Geography" and "Transportation" sections (revision 1373542018, retrieved 2026-10-27) — total area; highways; County Road 23; Amtrak; Northstar Link and proposed rail stop. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker,_Minnesota [^14]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker, Minnesota*, "Demographics" section (revision 1373542018, retrieved 2026-10-27) — 2020 households and housing units; 2010 population 4,538. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker,_Minnesota