06-12-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 22, 2023 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 10 of 12 Benson asked Van Eyll to explain the joint cooperative arrangement for public safety purchasing. Van Eyll said that was put together by communities to have similar equipment between Departments for the purposes of mutual aid, and it is not about purchasing. Walsh said at the next meeting there would be a discussion by the Council and a vote on which option to pursue. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Crosby said there are some interesting topics. One person at the meeting brought up the Pension and Relief Association. He said he would support that if fire fighters leave Long Lake and come to Orono they would be fully vested and not lose a penny in pension. It’s important to keep fire fighters whole, he said. Crosby said he was surprised they didn’t have this kind of outrage when Long Lake walked away from the Orono PD years ago. He said the Council doesn’t ask for input on every subject because they are elected to do the job. If the Council did that, he added, nothing would get done. Crosby pointed out Orono pays 85 percent of the fire bill and asked in what business does one party pay 85 percent and the other seven percent and they are the one that is in control. He said he still has respect for Long Lake and still hopes the two communities can work something out, but it would be in the manner of Orono running that Department. There’s not a business out there, he said, where the seven percenter is the decision-maker. This is something better for the City, he said. It's going to be more efficient, better run. If the duty crew model is the model that gets implemented, that is not going to have a negative impact on the existing firefighters, according to Crosby. It will not impact their call percentage, but will provide a proper response time during the day. Crosby said as a former firefighter, he can say that daytime response is extremely difficult because people have full-time occupations. The citizens of Orono are the Council’s interest, he said, and they will do everything they can to make sure that the City has a proper Fire Department in place. Benson said questions have been raised in the past at meetings on open litigation between Mr. Nygard and others. She said she contacted the League of Minnesota Cities insurance trust, and they have provided her with letters explaining how this trust covers this litigation and said it was public information so she could make the letters available. She thanked all those who responded with comment cards, came to the meeting or watched online. She said she also attended the Long Lake open forum. Benson said she is not an expert but has done a lot of studying. Fire suppression is about control, she said, while fire service is about community. She said she wanted to ask some open-ended questions for the rest of the Council to consider as this moves forward, for example: How Orono has kept residents abreast of changes? Is the City open to using mediation in future negotiations? How did Orono inform residents on the impact the bonding sale in 2021 had on the increase in their tax levy this year? How has Orono informed residents about the impact the creation of a Fire Department will have on their tax levy in the near future? How have they shown the City of Orono is a friendly neighbor? What guarantees there are that neighboring cities will be interested in joining Orono for fire service? Is control over a fire department worth the price that will be paid by our residents to build, operate and staff a fire department now and into the future? Is paying 84% of budget when we make up 72%