11-27-2023 CC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING November 27, 2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. including by running up unnecessary legal fees, he said. It is disheartening and embarrassing to say the least. None of this meeting tonight really had anything to do with taxes, he added. It had to do with the Council's bullheaded, steamroller decision without the support of the citizens of Orono. He said the decision -making process was so clear at the meeting that night. James Elder, 195 South Brown Road, said the discussion the Council just had was emblematic of what is going on. The Council can't decide what was said at the Fire Advisory Committee and he has doubts about the safety of the Navarre station, he said. If Council Members can't get along to run the Orono Fire Department planning any better than it did at that meeting, he said he thinks the people in that fire service area will be at risk. Kim Carswell, 261 Cygnet Place, said one of reasons Orono continues to cite for needing its own Fire Department is the perception that Long Lake has not invested in the Fire Department and Orono will. The capital needs of the Long Lake fire department have not been firnded at an adequate level to sustain equipment needs, according to Mayor. In fact this is not because of the City of Long Lake, she said, but because of the continued refiisal of the City of Orono to invest capital to keep that department up-to-date. You don't negotiate a transfer of control, she said. This holding back of investment has cornered Long Lake into a takeover stance. Dave Pierson, 2160 Webber Hills Road, said he has been a resident of Orono since 2005 and like many residents, did not pay much attention to what was going on. On the consent agenda some years ago the Mayor increased his term from two years to four years, he said. What he heard tonight was disappointing, Pierson said. The fire station decision was also made on the consent agenda with no information, he said. Of the three Council Members, he said he doesn't know of a time when they didn't vote with the Mayor. Citizens need to look at the four-year term because they have no way to hold the Mayor accountable with a four-year term instead of a two-year term. He said the City needs to go back to a two-year term so citizens can hold the Mayor accountable along with the rest of the Council. Brian Turbeville, 997 Wildhurst Trail, said he started attending meetnlgs when the Fire Department became an issue. He heard call after call for a public meeting but what started out as `we're thinking about it, this is a good decision if we decide to start our own Fire Department' and despite call after call for a public meeting, statements suddenly turned into `this decision was made and it's irresponsible not to vote with me'. The Council is to be held to a higher standard, he said. The Council's contempt for the people who show up to speak is daunting, he said, stating that people who say what Council Members want to hear can go more than three minutes and are allowed to turn and talk to the audience. Those who don't say what the Council wants to hear get shut down. Kevin Reilley, 3405 High Lane, said what everyone wants is an effective Fire Department. If it is not an effective Department today, he said, steps to fix it would not be as expensive as the cost to start a new Department. For Orono to go on its own duplicating the whole process is not cost effective. Kelly Prchal, 475 Watertown Road, said she doesn't get it. She doesn't understand why the Council continues to move forward without public support, and why they are alienating Orono from a sister city. She said the community is being fractured by the Council's actions. She asked why after 100 years, Orono is not willing to negotiate in good faith with Long Lake to share services and why is it a good idea to isolate Orono and have other cities not willing to work with it. She said she also doesn't understand why the Council could steal the Fire Chief from Long Lake and then have him do a needs assessment that