09-26-2022 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 12, 2022 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 8 of 9 Seals noted there were several tenets that both City Councils could agree on which is positive. Where the Chief reports is the sticky widget and is a tough spot because how do they solve for that? Crosby noted all these years Long Lake had no problem with the Chief reporting directly to the City of Long Lake which only paid 14-15% of the bill. That was okay. Seals stated both cities are really trying to find a solution in good faith but she is not sure what to do about the tenets they cannot agree on and what compromise or next steps are. Crosby thanked the gentlemen that spoke tonight and said he really appreciates it. Crosby stated this City Council truly loves the City, they ran to serve, they hope they have improved things for the City, and Mayor Walsh has been a warrior in the grief and craziness that he has taken over the past several months. Crosby is not a big fan of bullies and when people come up, try to intimidate, and are disrespectful, they not only disrespect this Council but it pisses Crosby off because they are disrespecting all of the citizens. He is glad over the past few weeks things have toned down a bit and gotten a bit nicer. Crosby thinks it is okay to have a discussion and disagree on issues but it is not okay to intimidate or attack the Mayor on a bi-weekly basis or to sit on the podium. Regarding the Star Tribune, Crosby had a fish that told him this paper is not good enough for him so he needs the Wall Street Journal. What the Star Tribune reported in that paper was absolutely horrible, ridiculous, both sides were interviewed but only one-sided opinion was given. It was not fair, balanced reporting at all. Crosby is from the East Coast and speaks directly and to the point. His hat is off to Mayor Walsh and Crosby clarified this City Council is not voting on a video or a resolution to denounce or chastise the Mayor because this Council supports the Mayor and the City of Orono. Hopefully they can move forward and take care of City business. Mayor Walsh thanked the public for coming tonight and noted he was at a golf tournament over the weekend. He heard from many Orono residents who told him the City Council is doing a great job, they hope it continues, and they asked who they should vote for to help them continue this job. Mayor Walsh made it very clear who those people were and will not give names here. Seals touched on the budget and noted the City Council has been committed to the best of their ability not to raise the tax rate and if one paid $5,000/year six years ago they are paying $5,000/year today. If their home values went up people will be paying a little bit more but the tax rate has gone up zero percent in six years. He knows some mayors have been at the podium chastising Mayor Walsh and if one goes back and looks at the record of the four years of one of those mayors followed by the next two years of the other mayor, the tax rate went up 50%. The City Council has funded parks (which had no funding), fully funded the roads, and they are fully committed to make sure water and sewer is fully funded. Mayor Walsh takes his hat off to this City Council, to Staff, and Finance Director Olson for his guidance all these years. He spoke about school starting, Orono football, and the homecoming game. Mayor Walsh would like to make three motions tonight noting to have a fire department they must create a fire department. Walsh moved to authorize Administrator Edwards to go to the State and get paperwork done to create the Orono Fire Department. Mayor Walsh noted this motion does not mean the City needs to use it but it is time to get the paperwork done and get it moving. Crosby seconded.