10-23-2023 City Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING October 23,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. crews. She said many if not the majority of Long Lake fire fighters do not support bringing on Van Ey11 because he has put out cherry-picked information in an attempt to justify the need for a new department that does not accurately reflect the response times of the Long Lake Fire Department.Many felt betrayed by the misuse of information to make the department appear inept,she said,and many do not support prematurely annexing Fire Department Station 2 ahead of the end of the contract. She said this goes against the fire fighter's request to keep the department whole.It does not benefit the community to dismantle a successful department and create two superfluous departments per the recommendation of Van Eyll. She also pointed to litigation and the threats against one fire fighter, saying many felt betrayed by Van Eyll. They feel it would cause morale to plummet,she said,more than the situation already has. Blue Card training is very serious and this would create a distraction. Krista Berbig Long Lake, said the Long Lake Fire Department recently saved three out of four homes in a fourplex, did a phenomenal job, and had a very successful fire open house two weeks ago,and yet the Orono Council continues to drag its feet and delay the approval of the 2024 budget, impacting the department that currently serves each of their homes. She said she does not appreciate the underfunding and the refusal to move the budget forward. She said they are pushing back over$40,000 to bring Van Eyll back to do some duty crew training while spending millions on equipment that will serve Orono and leave the rest in the dust. It is shortsighted to keep underfunding the Long Lake Department and refusing to fund the budget,she said, adding the Council has spent hours meeting after meeting on easements and pickleball and won't spend more than a two-minute discussion with constituents about Long Lake Fire. Chelsea Wetrick,Corcoran,told the Council they are not winning any popularity contests. She said she hadn't been there in awhile and had hoped to talk to Crosby tonight. Brad Erickson, Corcoran,also said he was hoping Crosby would be there.He said he doesn't know why Crosby needs the support of two armed officers when he is there to walk the distance to his car.He talked about the situation in Franklin, Tennessee,where he said the Proud Boys under a different name are protecting a mayoral candidate.He wondered if Orono's next election cycle is going to look like Franklin, Tennessee. He asked when Crosby is going to answer the January 6 questions he asked. It's not so much what happened as what the Orono Council is doing and not doing to address it,he said,adding freedom of speech only goes one way as he has been almost arrested by the officers at the Council meetings. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Benson said she had completed a training course on communication for elected officials. The course emphasized trust as one of the most important communication skills for a member of Council. It was identified as one of the main ways elected officials establish credibility in their communities including by being available,approachable,honest, and communicating regularly. She said making a mistake does not equate with being untrustworthy,but taking responsibility is key to repairing trust when it has been broken. She said in the days since the last Council meeting, it has been reported that the Mayor has been accused of making threats against a member of the Long Lake Fire Department. The firefighter involved has made a sworn statement. She said she does not condone the actions the Mayor of Orono has been accused of. Threats of any type are not okay for any reason under any circumstances,especially for public officials. She said Council Members have voluntarily stepped into public roles that require an adherence to conduct that is held to a higher standard. She stands behind the right of community members to speak freely to the Council or about the Council without fearing retribution or any form of intimidation. Johnson said he had nothing. Page 5 of 6