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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />October 23, 2023 <br />6:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 4 of 6 <br /> <br />Community Development Director Oakden said the staff is working through some applications for the <br />upcoming Planning Commission meeting, an ordinance text amendment the Council would see at their <br />next work session and is busy with permitting and code enforcement. <br /> <br />FINANCE DIRECTOR REPORT <br /> <br />Finance Director Olson said the new broadcasting system is working well. They are waiting for one more <br />piece of equipment and then will make it more obvious on the website that people can click the link that is <br />similar to earlier recordings or use the Swagit link to get closed captioning and the meeting transcript. <br /> <br />CITY ATTORNEY REPORT <br /> <br />Attorney Mattick had nothing to report. <br /> <br />CITY ADMINISTRATOR/ENGINEER REPORT <br /> <br />City Administrator Edwards gave a couple of engineering updates. The Navarre parking lot is complete <br />and crews are prepping the roadways by the new force main for patching. At the new Public Works <br />facility, work is progressing to prep for winter and for interior work to continue during the winter. Spring <br />completion is still planned. On the City Administrator side, he noted the hiring of a new City Clerk with a <br />start date in mid-November. <br /> <br />COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS <br /> <br />There were no Council Committee Reports <br /> <br />PUBLIC COMMENTS <br /> <br />Cheryl Kulseth, 725 Stonebay Drive, said she would like to request a message from the Mayor in the next <br />City newsletter including what she said many have been requesting -- a sound reason why Orono needs to <br />go it alone on a fire department while most municipalities are moving to fire districts. It should be an easy <br />request and he should be able to articulate his reasoning, she said. It is not about politics but about the <br />community and how resources are being managed, listening to citizens and being fiscally responsible. She <br />said she has not heard any member of the public at a meeting support the independent fire department. <br />She sees lack of transparency about the reasoning and expenditures and feels the Council is isolating the <br />community from its neighbors. She said she has a lot of respect for people who choose to step up and run <br />for public office but is not aware of anyone in her neighborhood who feels the City is moving in the right <br />direction. <br /> <br />Nancy Brantingham, 3185 County Road 6, quoted from a letter to the editor in the Star Tribune from four <br />previous Orono mayors stating they were appalled by the embarrassing and intimidating conduct of the <br />sitting Mayor who allegedly threatened a fire fighter from the neighboring Long Lake community. They <br />said this belligerent style of governance has no place in our City. She said she has witnessed bullying <br />behavior by the Mayor in public and finds it embarrassing and belittling. <br /> <br />Kelly Grady, Long Lake, said the City Council at the last meeting said that it would be fiscally <br />irresponsible for Long Lake not to allow Chief Van Eyll to conduct Blue Card training or serve on duty