06-09-2025 - Agenda Packet City Council - regular meeting

Home Browse Search

I only mentioned one chemical in my presentation but others are concerning. Diquat has been banned in the EU and UK and is also thought to be harmful to Walleyes. I acknowledge Lake Minnetonka has weed problems in areas. There needs to be "tools" available to solve problems, choosing the right one is key. I also believe oversight is important, this does not mean a board of directors made up of individuals living on a particular bay. I think I'm hearing the DNR is not participating, Minnehaha Watershed is not into chemical treatment (and does not support LID's), and if I'm hearing it correctly LMCD is pulling back from invasive management? This leaves LMA, with an annual budget of under $300,000.00 and nearly half their expenses are on overhead and the remainder for weed management (I have a full report dating back to 1998 of their 501C tax returns that I can share). They also have a $420,000.00 reserve in 2023 (they report $70.00 of investment income on the $420,000.00 reserve). Per Rich Anderson and LMCD auditors 30 to 50% of annual expenses is an appropriate reserve level. This would be $76,000.00 to $126,500.00 based on $253,000.00 of expenses in 2023 by LMA, why the huge reserve? Tim Harren lives on Stubb's Bay, is the Principal Officer of LMA, and is directly involved in creating the LID in Stubb's Bay. I've heard the Minnesota governor is considering reducing the budget by half to support these efforts. Are these some of the primary reasons for the major push by LMA to put it on residents' backs? I understand LMCD has provided a letter of support to Stubb's Bay but decided not to for Harrison's Bay at this time. The Orono city council has authorized a public hearing to take place on June 9th for Stubb's Bay. There is one scheduled for June 10th in Mound for Harrison's Bay. I'm sure those who are supporting the creation of the LID welcome the support of LMCD. I oppose the creation and hereby ask that you rescind your support until the issue is better understood. Please advise. Notifying these cities of your current position would likely aid in slowing this down. Documents need to be sent to Orono by June 2nd. Please advise. I believe far more voices need to be heard about this issue and will offer my help in any capacity you request. The liability shift to residents is a major concern, again see state statute 6115.0980 provided at the LMCD meeting. Thanks for your attention to this very important issue. Jim 301