The Becker County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 31 adopted Resolution 1224-3 to approve the county's comprehensive land-use plan with a set of wording changes and clarifications requested by commissioners and staff.

The board voted to approve the plan after public comment from residents and stakeholders who urged either stronger protections or more restrained language. The board agreed to change several prescriptive items to "consider" language and to remove one specific policy (policy 1.6) at the meeting.

Why it matters: The comprehensive plan will guide land-use decisions across Becker County for years and sets goals for economic development, shoreline and nuisance management, and cooperative work with cities and townships. Commissioners said they wanted the plan to be a practical guide rather than a list of mandates the county cannot or will not implement immediately.

Public comment covered a mix of technical and value concerns. Speakers representing lake groups and conservation organizations asked that two reports on confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and wake-boat impacts be included in the public record for the plan; they argued the reports contain scientific findings relevant to the county's shoreline and water-quality policies. Farmers and the Becker County Farm Bureau urged the board not to place overly prescriptive restrictions on agriculture, saying state and federal regulation already set standards and that many local operators follow conservation practices.

Board changes and next steps: Commissioners instructed staff to revise wording in several policy sections (including changing "conduct" or "require" to "consider" in select policies), remove the surface-water ordinance directive (policy 1.6), and refine language in policy 2.3 on recreational development on agricultural land. The board also asked that the consultant provide the plan in an editable format so county staff can make agreed edits before final publication.

Action taken: A motion to approve the plan "with the changes" passed by voice vote. The motion was made by a commissioner identified in the hearing as "Richard" and seconded by "Erica." The meeting record shows the motion carried; a roll-call tally was not recorded in the transcript excerpts made available.

Public-record requests and attachments: Multiple public-commenters requested that the Isaac Walton League reports on CAFOs and wake boats be entered into the official record and attached to the public packet. County staff noted the board packet available online had been modified to include some submitted materials and directed staff to ensure the final plan file and attachments were provided in an editable format for future reference.

The board said it will incorporate the changes before finalizing the plan and document the edits in the plan record so future boards and staff can see the basis for selected policy language.