01-08-2018 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, December 11, 2017 6:30 o'clock p.m. 9A. LMCD UPDATE — Continued Walsh asked what her salary is. Schleuning indicated her salary is approximately $85,000 and that the administrative department has two full-time people and one part-time receptionist. Schleuning noted that changed from three full-time to two full-time and that the LMCD will be utilizing supplementary consulting. This past year the administration department was $149,000. Walsh stated in the past the LMCD administration costs were almost half of the LMCD budget and that the City of Orono is always looking for efficiency and prioritizing different projects. Schleuning stated she does more than just shuffle papers and that yesterday she was also out installing signs and checking the condition of the ice. Schleuning noted the ice is still thin and that people should exercise caution. Schleuning noted a lot of the administration costs are related to the services provided. Walsh encouraged the LMCD to continue to improve their efficiency. Crosby thanked the LMCD for their assistance with the dock for the fire department. Crosby noted all of the invasive species have been brought in from some other place and that he would like to see the LMCD and/or Hennepin County implement a system of tagging boats and have that fee go towards cleaning up the invasive species rather than have the residents incur all the costs. Crosby stated it could be a sticker program or something similar, which would then generate some revenue to address this issue. Crosby indicated he is not a big believer in the harvesting and that the harvesting can actually spread the milfoil. Crosby stated the chemical treatments do seem to be working and that the treatments on Carman Bay have helped quite a bit. Kroll stated they will check into the boat tags but that he is not sure the LMCD has the legislative authority to do that. Kroll stated as far as the invasive species, Orono is well aware of the complexities of harvesting and the other issues but that the chemical treatments do appear to be working. Walsh asked if he is enjoying being on the LMCD Board. Kroll stated this is his first experience being on a nonprofit board and that the LMCD does make a difference on the lake. Kroll stated he is asking to be reappointed for another two years. Schleuning stated as it relates to AIS, the LMCD conducted observation on all the bays this past year to help determine what is happening on the lake and that part of the survey is intended to gather information. Schleuning noted the LMCD has been losing funds from the state and that Lake Minnetonka is definitely one of the busier lakes in the area. Schleuning stated one of the goals of the LMCD is to figure out what is happening on the lake and perhaps do some predictive modeling. Page 7 of 15