06-10-2019 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 10,2019 7:00 o'clock p.m. which is unfortunate, but Orono pays a good portion of the bills. Kroll indicated he has built a good working relationship with various members of the LMCD. Kroll stated he appreciates Council Member Johnson calling him today, which is why he came tonight, and that he wants to work at the pleasure of the City Council. Kroll stated if the Council has someone else in mind, he would appreciate knowing that, but in his view he has been very effective on the most critical issue, which was the milfoil harvesting, and that he will continue to build those relationships. Crosby stated in his view the City has made some progress, especially given the one-year moratorium, and that what might help Mark is if periodically some of the council members show up at the meetings to support him. Orono is one of 14 votes and it is not balanced for the amount of money that Orono contributes. Having some support from the Council at the LMCD meetings might help Mark and that he is not sure if getting a new representative will change anything. Crosby stated in his view the LMCD does not have the major interest of Lake Minnetonka or the residents at heart, which has been proven by their milfoil harvesting,which is outdated. Walsh stated the Council could perhaps provide better direction and that he would appreciate a summary email update following each of the LMCD meetings. Walsh stated he would like more constant updates as to what is going on at the LMCD, and if anyone on the Council has any specific questions,they can respond to the email. Walsh stated in his view they have made progress and that this Council and some Orono residents are more proactively involved, which bodes well for the future. Kroll stated as the Orono representative, he shares the Council's frustrations, and that he is attempting to form relationships with like-minded city representatives. Kroll stated he is also somewhat digging out a little bit of a bad goodwill situation from his predecessor. Kroll noted he would not have been able to provide any updates on the recent legislation since the LMCD was not informed of that and it was another complication in the ongoing battle. Seals noted the legislation was relating to the LMCD attempting to take over some land rights and that in her view the LMCD spoke out of turn and spoke against Orono residents when they attempted to speak out about it. The challenge is that Orono is one of 14 cities, and goodwill or not, Orono is not going to attain a majority on the LMCD. At the present time the LMCD is not happy with Orono and they do not put Orono in a good light. Seals stated the LMCD needs to take a seat back and ask themselves who butters their bread. The representatives are appointed and half of the LMCD budget goes towards administrative. Seals stated in her view many of the things the LMCD does can be done better and cheaper by private entities, but that she does not have a solution. Walsh stated the good news is that there has been some clarifying legislation, which is the beginning of the process. Seals stated the Council can do a better job at supporting Orono residents,especially the marina owners, since they are the guys who help the sheriff and are there helping to pull boats out. Seals stated she is super disappointed the LMCD has not apologized for the track they went down but they are continuing to dig the hole. The people the LMCD has come out against are some of the first residents to step up and help out with community projects out on Big Island. Seals stated she does not know how someone can change the present culture. Page 5 of 20