07-11-2022 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, June 27, 2022 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 4 of 11 Johnson thinks there is a growing concern that the expenses of Hennepin County are being disproportionately assessed to the suburbs. He thinks these assessments are somewhat a reflection of those concerns which is why he asked these questions. Seals stated the City of Orono has heard from many residents, specifically those who have been in their houses for a long time and are not selling their houses. Going up $200,000 when one is not going to sell their house does not do a darn thing for them and is actually pricing many of them out of their houses. In talking about 1/3 of income going into housing, doing these massive value increases does absolutely nothing for the bulk of people and actually hurts the citizens. She noted it is a fake number in many ways and she encouraged Mr. LaTondresse when thinking about these levies and saying 3.5%...she says zero. Seals thinks of her dad who is not selling his house, he is retired and his income has not changed, noting he is fortunate because he has saved all his life. However it does not make sense for all of the residents and it does not matter if one is in Minneapolis, Bloomington, or wherever, all these increases are hitting when everyone knows they are potentially going into a recession. She encouraged Mr. LaTondresse to be very scrupulous in that number and it is actually hurting more than anything. Mr. LaTondresse noted the County is hearing from residents that property taxes are actually pretty regressive and they tax based on what assessed value is. One double-whammy is that values have gone up and the State has not modified its homestead exclusion; this means a homesteaded property is taxed at a different rate ($414,000) and he thinks that is an important area of advocacy for all of the local government jurisdictions. As the residents are feeling this pressure, they can say they must do something about the homestead value market exclusion to protect the kind of residents Ms. Seals is describing. Seals stated homestead or not she thinks there are some other levers they can pull. Mayor Walsh thanked Mr. LaTondresse and Mr. Atchison for coming. PUBLIC HEARING 6. ANNUAL PUBLIC HEARING FOR MS4 STORM WATER PERMIT Edwards stated as part of the MS4 permit they must hold a yearly public hearing and give a review of efforts regarding the permit. He gave a presentation on the permit, noting it is to protect the City’s water, including rivers, lakes, and water systems. The City must have a storm water pollution prevention program and will be going through an update process this year. Edwards noted they must also initiate best management practices and have measurable goals, as well as submit reports, make sure ordinances are in compliance, and track everything. Storm water compliance activities include several storm water projects in conjunction with street projects, numerous erosion control inspections, 115 storm water inspections, 10 structural repairs/replacements, the grass and leaf disposal program, and met all requirements for publishing to newsletters and the website. He noted street sweeping activities are also a big part of the City’s storm water management program removing debris and keeping phosphorous out of the water system. Mayor Walsh opened the public hearing at 6:34 p.m. A man approached the podium [inaudible yelling].