07-24-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING July 10, 2023 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 7 of 8 what firehouse, and what fire fighters. He said he was also very disappointed in the Mayor’s use of the term propaganda at the last meeting. He called it a very incendiary word especially when used toward another Councilmember and by association, the staff. He said the information that had been called propaganda had come from City Council minutes and while he does not expect it, he would ask the Mayor to apologize to both Councilmember Benson and the staff for the use of the word propaganda. Jay Nygard, 1386 Rest Point Road, said he wanted to finish what his wife was talking about with two more lawsuits. Residents have no idea how much it's going to cost, he said, adding it just keeps going with this litigious Council. He pointed out no other community in the area is even close to having seven open lawsuits as does Orono. He accused the Council of violating the open meeting law by coming back and taking additional action after closed meetings. The Minnesota Open Meeting Law prohibits actions being taken in a secret meeting, he said, because it is impossible for the interested public to become fully- informed and present their views. He questioned the City Attorney allowing the Council to have illegal meetings and get itself into multiple lawsuits. He wondered how much that legal representation is costing the City. He said the City is spending so much on lawsuits that there won’t be money left for a Fire Department. He added taxpayers are going to be paying for what the City Council is doing. Fees increase every month and taxes are going up, he said. He urged speakers at the Council table to speak up and use their microphones properly. Chelsea Wetrick, Independence, said the Council is nervous when the public speaks because everything that comes out of their mouths is a lie. She read a definition of transparency stating it is the government's obligation to share information that is needed to make informed decisions and hold officials accountable for the conduct of all of the people's business. She asked what the Council is trying to hide. She said in the continued meeting after the closed meeting, the rest of the Council kept Councilmember Veach from making a motion to clear everything up in front of the public and repeatedly cut off Councilmember Benson. She said she was wondering if it’s all women they hate or if it's just intelligent women or those that are not subservient. Brad Erickson, 2485 Independence Road, Independence, said if the Council wants to be trusted it has to be honest. He said the Council has had every opportunity to sit down and talk about his allegations face to face. He claimed Councilmember Crosby had begged him to forgive the Mayor but Walsh had brought up his faith and religion. Erickson stated the Bible says one has to seek repentance before forgiveness can be afforded. The Mayor has called him a liar and other names, he said, but the courts are good at getting to the truth. He said the label stamp adopted at this meeting should have been on the video that Walsh sent out before the last election. He said he will prove the Mayor sent the video and will prove that Councilmember Crosby was in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. He wondered what his lawsuit would cost the City, saying he was just getting started spending money. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Benson reminded everyone that earlier in the year the Council had been given a presentation by the City Administrator on proper City procedures. It was explained, she said, that the agenda is approved at the beginning of each meeting and that new items may be introduced at the beginning of a meeting but should not be introduced once the agenda is set. Several times this year, new items have been added after the