10-12-2020 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, October 12, 2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Barnhart said he will initiate a text amendment and there will be a public hearing to change that to 33%. It will then go to the Planning Commission and will come to the City Council for final approval. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Johnson reported the Pee-Wee B Team in Hockey is in desperate need of a coach. Crosby sends his heart out to his wife Patty on the one-year anniversary of her father's passing and noted her mother also died in October so it is a very tough month. Seals reported that intermediate schools are back open today and her children are excited to be back in school as they miss their friends. Mayor Walsh noted it is getting colder and the process of taking out the boats, docks and outdoor furniture is beginning. He also noted there is a clean-up day in Orono on October 17, 2020 at the Public Works facility and people can bring bikes, TV's and electronics. Rief noted they are doing a prescription drug take-back on October 17, 2020 and October 24, 2020 at City Hall. CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT Rief said the streets are completed and now they are working on restoration work such as planting grass. He noted there was a Fire District informational meeting this week and discussion surrounding City Administrators and Fire Chiefs as to what that looks like, where everyone is at with it and if it is feasible. At the next meeting they are bringing someone in from the State Fire Marshall's office to help structure what it looks like and how to evaluate it. He thinks it is something the City needs to explore and provide the best answer to residents on what the future of their fire services looks like. He noted a concern he has on what it would look like for taxpayers, and he did a quick analysis of what the tax base looks like for Orono compared to everyone else and essentially, Orono has 50%of the entire tax base of the proposed cities that would be involved. This is a pretty significant negative impact for a district if it is only tax- based. He basically told the City Administrators and Fire Chiefs that if it will be based on taxes alone and the assessed values of their homes, Orono is not interested. He reported there are other models being looked at, noting a Joint Power Association(JPA) model would give Orono flexibility on how the fee structure is allocated. Seals said doing it tax-based is great for the bulk of the district except for two cities: Minnetonka Beach and Orono. She told some of the partnering cities, as a Councilmember, she cannot look their residents in the face and explain why one Orono resident pays more per hour than a non-Orono city resident. She said if the tax model is the direction it is heading, don't even waste the time looking at it. She noted everyone needs to pay the same amount per hour, and some cities' costs may go up. Right now they are being subsidized by other cities that are paying a tax model. Page 18 of 24