10-24-2022 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING October 10, 2022 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 5 of 7 Mayor Walsh spoke about history of lots in Orono, noting there are many skinny lots in Orono and have given flexibility in coming down to 7.5 feet from 10 feet. It is still an encroachment, non-conforming, and they do not like to make non-conformities worse. Regarding hardcover, if one is making it better that goes a long way. He noted this does not mean that the City Council will just let people start going another 10- 15 feet into the ALS because then every neighbor would also want to move forward. This City Council is about respecting the lakeshore. Mayor Walsh noted nothing is showing practical difficulty to him. Johnson concurs and added the Council has been very reliable and consistent with this. They try to give people a fair and honest expectation and it is the Applicants job to design within that. Sometimes there is justification but this is not one of those examples. He supports denial. Johnson moved, Seals seconded, to deny LA22-000036, 2815 Casco Point Road, Variances as applied. VOTE: Ayes 3, Nays 0. Community Development Director Oakden gave an updated noting the department has been busy working on 8 new houses, 13 code enforcement cases, training the new City Planner who started the previous week, and closing out summer projects and permits. PARK DEPARTMENT REPORT Park Superintendent Lemmons shared his department is doing great and looking to hire a full-time employee. They have been closing down the golf course, doing irrigation blow outs, and servicing at Big Island. FINANCE DIRECTOR REPORT Finance Director Olson gave a presentation on the previous month’s building revenue, noting building permits have been doing well and they are at 96.9% of the budget with three full months left in the year. He shared about an employee insurance increase of 6.9%, they have received policing aid of $267,000, and he noted it is certification time for unpaid utility bills. 16. LA22-000048 – CITY OF ORONO TEXT AMENDMENT RELATED TO ACCESSORY BUILDING HEIGHT – ORDINANCE NO. 278, THIRD SERIES This item was moved to the Consent Agenda. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT Attorney McDowell Poehler had nothing to report. CITY ADMINISTRATOR/ENGINEER REPORT 17. Fire Chief Job Description and Recruitment City Engineer Edwards noted a Committee was appointed to look at hiring a Fire Chief to guide the City in a new fire department should negotiations with the City of Long Lake fail. The Committee provided guidance the previous week to move forward with developing a draft job description for the Fire Chief, deal with staffing, and develop a timeline for filling that position which is in the packet.