04-10-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 21, 2023 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 7 of 8 abuse. I've served this community for 10 years as a firefighter. We care about this community. He said he has never profited from being a City Council member but spent his own money to make sure he made it to meetings. I've spent money donating money to the community. This Council took money out of their own pocket to make up for lunches for kids that were short on their lunch money. The Council made sure the City has a roads budget, which he said previous administrations didn't. The sideshow to some people is exciting. It makes the papers when we get disparaged. We're invested in this community. The people of Orono love this community. I get amazed with people being so incredibly fortunate to live here. The problems here are not huge. To some people they are, but they're manageable. I feel very grateful and blessed to live where we live. I've answered his questions months ago at a meeting during my comments and I addressed them item for item. I'm not going to replay the same reel with this gentleman. We work for you, we represent you. So when we have to sit here and listen to the vile language and the attacks and the insults, we do it for you guys. But it's not fun. He asked if the community can get back to the time of respecting each other and if someone has a difference of opinion, being able to discuss it in a civil manner instead of attack? Those times are not that long ago. I think we can do it. I hope we can do it. Seals said it's only been a week since the last Council meeting but they are still talking with the City of Long Lake about Fire service. I think what Todd was starting to say is completely appropriate to wrap your minds around. We are going to be in a state no matter where we end up, catching up. When you're hitting 20 to 25 years we can all agree we probably need to start phasing them out regardless. I'm not going to claim to tell you what it's going to cost because we're going to wait for Ron (Olson), Adam (Edwards) and James (Van Eyll) to give us some real numbers. But it is fair to say that, if you look at the fire departments locally, we've been super-fortunate with great service by great volunteers, but we haven't funded the equipment the way we need to. That's just the reality of the situation. She said upgrading equipment may mean buying more second-hand and refurbishing because new equipment ordering is on a 24-to-36-month timeline. I think it's appropriate that Todd gives you a heads up, the numbers are probably going to be pretty big. She said at no point has it ever been a question of the service the firefighters are giving. It's how we're supporting them with the right tools, the right equipment. She added in the final presentation there may be an option that's not anything that has been presented yet. Time will tell. Walsh said he would start by again addressing Councilmember Benson's meeting with Brad (Erickson). I stand by what was told to me about why she had to meet here with them. And regards to the letter that she wrote last time, I think I talked about that very well, about the lack of credibility when you've already denigrated the Council in front of other public officials and undermined the staff. And then when you have an admitted liar with his affidavit that he admits lying to police, it's hard to have anybody say that they're going to believe an admitted liar. Walsh said he has also visited The Gillespie Center for years for their annual meeting and it is a fabulous place. We do fund them, and we've made sure to continue to help funding them for all the different programs that they've got. He said he attended a college planning presentation offered recently at the high school along with a number of other people in the audience. He congratulated the Orono High School DECA program which is sending a group of representatives to the State DECA Conference. He also congratulated the high school boys basketball team who had defeated Hermantown that afternoon 84 to 82, noting the team will play again on Thursday and if they win that one they will be in the State Championship game. I'll leave you with another quote. It's from Sir Walter Scott. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive”.