03-28-2005 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, March 28, 2005 7:00 o'clock p.m. (17. PURCHASE AGREEMENT FOR THE ACQUISITION OF THE BIG ISLAND • VETERANS CAMP PROPERTY, Continued) that obtaining the parcel was the most important first step, and should be put to rest before the City spends a lot of time deciding what it should do with it. Gehring indicated that he believed there should be greater accountability to the tax payers than the opinion that we think the City should obtain the property at any price. Based on his public contact, Sansevere pointed out that Gehring had been the only person to step forward to disagree with the direction the City was headed with the property. White maintained that any community would move forward with this purchase, when it is so evident that this is for the community good as a whole, for perpetuity. He argued that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to save this property and keep it in the public domain as opposed to losing it to development for good. Jeff Pattison, 4340 North Shore Drive, indicated that he was in attendance as an observer to learn more about the acquisition. Gehring asked to see the true costs broken out now before proceeding. Sansevere stated the City Council works very hard to keep taxes low, in fact, Orono has one of the lowest tax rates in the state. He maintained that the purchase was not a frivolous decision by the • City and pointed out that past Mayor Jabbour had been very diligent in lending his assistance to this matter. Murphy acknowledged that Gehring had many excellent questions which, he pointed out, would be addressed as the City proceeds with the process. He noted that abandoning the purchase to development was a poor option to the city, noting that, at this time, the purchase could even fall apart at the legislature. Murphy stated that he objected to wasting time and taxpayer resources to break out cost details when the City may not be successful in acquiring the property. Gehring asked whether there could be a potential conflict of interest having past Mayor Jabbour involved in the purchase. While he admitted that this was no small undertaking, Murphy stated that, as a Council member, he felt authorized to proceed for the greater good. Since the City was unsure of how the process was going to pan out, Murphy stated that they could not answer all of Gehring's question to his level of satisfaction at this time. He reiterated that it was clear to him that virtually everyone, except Gehring, the Council had heard from felt it was very important that Big Island be kept in the public domain. White interjected that, as with any of the City parks, there are not always visions for use when they are obtained and there are always costs involved with their maintenance. Nevertheless, the City still feels those are worthwhile endeavors, as is this scenario. White reiterated that, once in the public domain, the City would love public input. r� U PAGE 12 of 14