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Becker residents urge revocation if conditions not enforced after liquor license renewal
Summary
Two Becker residents used open forum to press Sherburne County commissioners to enforce conditions of a conditional use permit (CUP) for a neighborhood bar and to deny future expansion requests if violations continue.
Two neighbors of a bar in Becker addressed the Sherburne County Board of Commissioners during open forum, saying they believe the business has repeatedly violated conditions of its conditional use permit and asking the county to take stronger enforcement action. The speakers urged the commissioners to consider character and neighborhood impacts if the operator seeks future amendments or interim use permits.
Tim Sockery, who identified his Becker address and said he and other neighbors planned to speak about the bar, told commissioners the county’s three-minute open forum limit is “not enough to present well documented concerns” and described what he called multiple compliance failures tied to the bar’s CUP. He asked whether required compliance logs had been checked and raised questions about signage, the origin of product marketed as “locally grown,” and vehicles leaving after hours. "If Sherburne County can't afford the resources to sort out who is family or not, why was the license renewed? Again, no accountability enforcement whatsoever as of today concerning this matter," Sockery said.
Shailene Zachary, who gave the same Becker address, requested that the record reflect what she described as inconsistent application of county rules on public comment: she said the bar owner was allowed to speak before a liquor license renewal vote at a prior meeting while nearby residents were not given the same opportunity during open forum. Zachary said she has experienced confrontations with the business owner while walking in the neighborhood and described reporting an alleged verbal attack to the sheriff. "I should be able to walk without harassment in my neighborhood," she said, and asked the board to deny CUP amendments or interim use permits that would expand the business.
Both speakers asked the board to consider revoking the CUP if violations continue. Commissioners did not take formal action at the meeting; these remarks were entered as public comment during the open forum portion of the agenda. The county’s procedures and staff enforcement actions were referenced repeatedly by the speakers; county staff noted that compliance documentation and enforcement follow county processes but did not announce any immediate enforcement action during the meeting.
