07-10-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26, 2023 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 6 of 11 added he had offered the Council a way to settle the matter and warned that this is what he would do and he is not going away. He said the Council should have taken Ms. Benson’s advice to use League of Cities mediation. Chelsea Wetrick, Independence, said she would also like to apologize for her involvement in the mayhem at the last meeting but had she not been interrupted, there would not have been so much mayhem. She asked why Mayor Walsh tells people to stay offline when he himself participates online. She added he is very bold online but in person is just a weak little man. He won’t answer questions or use mediation, she said. If the Council doesn’t like everything that's going on with the craziness of the meetings, they should man up and deal with it, she said, adding it’s not about them but they make it about themselves. Helen Landgraver, 2570 Thoroughbred Lane, said she has attended the last several meetings, especially regarding the fire issue. The Council does not respond to public comment during the meetings, which she said she completely understands, but she would like an answer to the request that many have made over the last several meetings for a clearly articulated reason why the Orono Fire Department must exist. She estimated her taxes will be going up at least 20 percent in the next year. She again asked for some clearly- articulated reason why this is required, noting there is a very intelligent voter base in Orono and logic appeals. She requested a clearer understanding of what it is that requires the City to set up a separate fire department actually comparing apples to apples, response time to response time. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Veach, the new Council member, introduced herself as a longtime resident and an Orono graduate. She said her husband and kids became proud Orono community members and she has been very active in the community for a long time. She grew up in Long Lake and so has deep roots in the community in general. She apologized for the unfortunate timing of being out of town on vacation for the last meeting and said she hopes that she is approachable, and the public can reach out to her as needed. Benson noted her report was going to take about 10 minutes. She said last week was her first time attending the annual League of Minnesota Cities conference. With over 700 elected officials and city staff from across the State gathered to hear from experts in a variety of fields, she said, some common themes emerged. One was the importance of listening in the role of elected officials. Listening, they were told, isn't enough. It's essential to collaborate openly with the people served and create a shared vision for the community. She said serious discord has become a common fixture in City Council meetings and flows into the community and causes harm to residents, staff, and to the relationships with neighboring cities. A lack of trust lies at the center of this upset, according to Benson. When residents do not trust the actions of their elected officials the foundation of communal goodwill is eroded. Serving in the role of Council member requires a willingness to speak openly about issues that impact residents, even when doing so may not be viewed favorably by one's colleagues. She said she created several documents to demonstrate why the Council continues to grapple with issues of trust. She noted in discussing issues it is important to agree on basic facts. She said her documents are based in fact with everything pulled from verifiable City records. They are not opinions, they are data, she said. Since the Mayor did not allow them to be shown on the screen at the previous meeting, hard copies will be available at the end of the meeting and copies have been provided to Edwards for the public record.