09-25-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 11, 2023 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 7 of 8 in front of the US flag, he said. He called it disrespectful on 9/11. He said he takes discomfort in Mr. Crosby calling him out as a Nazi. Nazis don’t look like this, he said, and Nazis don’t act like this. They act like the people who were out at the capitol on January 6 and were out at the Governor’s mansion. The problem is, the City is being sued for being assholes, he said, and then Crosby calls him a Nazi. He said he was talking about his grandparents and about his father who is still alive. He suggested Crosby try telling him his son is a Nazi. He said he was glad Crosby’s true colors are trying to come through, adding that everyone who doesn’t agree with him is a socialist or a clown or a Nazi from the dais here in Orono. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Crosby said he never said Erickson was a Nazi; he said don’t act like one. He thanked everyone for being there that evening as it is extremely important to never forget those who lose their lives on 9/11 and their sacrifices, he said. He thanked members of the Council for vigorous respectful discussions. Benson said this past weekend she attended the Loretto Fun Fest. They were celebrating the 75-year history of the Loretto Fire Department which is the year they merged with Hamel Fire to form the West Suburban Fire District which was about two historic departments coming together. She wanted to address the comments made about her at the Aug. 28 Council meeting. A fellow Council member characterized as irresponsible her vote against spending $2.8 million for vehicles and equipment for the Fire Department, she said. This is a public safety matter. Each member of the Council is entitled to their vote. Commenting on the vote of a fellow Council member is not in keeping with the rules of decorum, Benson said.. She said the other Council member said her vote was for no reason other than her past vote on a decision made by the Orono Council. That decision is impacting the City in real time, she said, adding the Council can change direction at any time and not every decision is written in stone. She voted to deny because there has not been a third-party independent evaluation done and data brought to the Council to demonstrate that creation of a Fire Department will improve fire service; the public has not had sufficient opportunity to be heard, and the public continues to express concerns about the fire service that will be provided next year. The cost of the Orono Fire Department has far exceeded what this City has historically paid for services provided by Long Lake Fire Department, she said, and the City will pay 100 percent of the costs. The direction that nearly every city around Orono is taking, is to share expenses like costly trucks and the cost of paid-on-call fire service and they are looking at delivery of service as collaborators, she said. This decision takes Orono further in a direction not supported by independent data and not supported by the public. Johnson said he would not comment on most of that but said the cost of fire would go up even if Orono stayed in a contract with Long Lake. It is misleading, he said, to think Orono wouldn’t have a major capital expenditure with respect to fire cost. He contended if the City of Orono had been managing those resources the community would have a different level of service. In a long-term contract that isn’t a good contract, he said the first step is to get out of the contract. Long Lake could save money by choosing to be Orono’s partner. He said is irresponsible to vote against expenses that need to be made in order to provide fire services. Some want a third party to study the matter, he said, but Orono has an experienced Chief and City Administrator to do that. It is a lot of money, but money the City had to spend, he said. The City is open to any ideas and not throwing anything off the table, he said, adding that he is optimistic and that better collaboration with Long Lake is needed as the cities are transitioning. He noted that the new Long Lake Fire Chief has been invited on several occasions to come to Orono City Council meetings and answer questions. He said if you are paying 85 percent of the bill the leader of that service provider should make himself available.