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Orono City Council <br /> Committee of the Whole <br /> April 14, 2009,6:15 p.m. <br /> Orono City Council Chambers <br /> Present: Mayor Jim White, Council Members Cynthia Bremer, Doug Franchot, Lili McMillan, and Jim <br /> Murphy; City Administrator Bill Wells, Finance Director Ron Olson, Assistant City <br /> Administrator for Long-Term Strategy Mike Gaffron, Building Official Lyle Oman; Public Works <br /> Supervisors Don DeBaere and Scott Oberaigner and City Clerk Lin Vee <br /> 1. Assessor's Review for Local Board of Appeal and Equalization—Nate Stulc, Hennepin County <br /> Assessor <br /> • Residential lakeshore growth of- 1.8%; residential off lake growth of-6.3%; overall gross value <br /> growth for the city of -2.7%, down about 1% in taxable market for City because of removal of <br /> limited market value. <br /> • Appeals are similar to last year. There are not a lot of foreclosures or short sales in Orono. <br /> Expect about 30+ people, similar to last year. Handouts will be available including <br /> "Understanding Your Property Assessment" and a "Fact Sheet"from the Department of <br /> Revenue. The Hennepin County appraisal manager will also attend in the audience. <br /> • Tax information comparing other cities indicates Orono has lower property taxes than many <br /> other cities; reiterate this meeting is related to fair assessment of property, not taxes. <br /> 2. Hazardous Building <br /> • The owner of 3443 Crystal Place bought the property in early 2006 with the intent to remodel <br /> for resale. After gutting the lower level, he found the foundation in very poor condition. He <br /> would like to remove the house and garage and sell the property as a vacant lot. However, he <br /> cannot afford the demolition. <br /> • The owner has requested that the city consider arranging for the demolition and assessing the <br /> cost to be certified to the property taxes. State Statute allows municipalities the right to <br /> remove or raze hazardous buildings with the owner's consent and assess to taxes at 8%. <br /> • The City may want to explore purchase of this property, and the neighboring property, for <br /> potential use by the city for trail parking,future LRT stop or other possibilities. <br /> • Council agreed the city should move forward with demolition of the buildings and assess to the <br /> property owner's taxes. <br /> 3. Review Amended Ordinances <br /> a. Special Events <br /> • Allows City Administrator with staff recommendation to issue special event permits <br /> b. Solicitors <br /> • The revised ordinance establishes guidelines for a background investigation with 14 days to <br /> review the application. <br /> • The city would issue a license certificate that each solicitor would be required to have in <br /> their possession. An ID card was considered, but it could give the impression that the <br /> solicitor is a city employee. The city could use an embossed seal or watermark to make the <br /> certificate difficult to reproduce. <br /> • The ordinance doesn't target groups like the Sierra Club, Boy Scouts, or youth groups. The <br /> intent is to screen out those with criminal backgrounds. <br /> Page 1 of 3 <br />