04-12-2010 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 • MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, April 12, 2010 7:00 o'clock p.m. (4. Funding Request for Milfoil Project, Continued) willing to write a personal check for half of the $3000 if that will help the residents. Murphy stated he cannot commit the City's funds to this given the other issues the City is facing. A resident noted that the property owners on the lake are required to pay higher property taxes to be on the lake and that there should be a decrease in their property taxes due to the milfoil and their inability to use the lake. The lake is a public resource and is used by the public. Right now it is not useable for the residents but they are paying a higher tax rate. The residents are funding the majority of the project personally. Murphy stated if the residents were in attendance at a school board meeting tonight instead of here, there would be a lot of people within the Orono Alliance that would say basically the same thing. The tax situation in the state is severe and there is a lot of personal money that is being raised for the band students and other organizations. Murphy stated he is willing to commit his personal money to this project but that he does not feel it is good for the City to do it. A resident in the audience noted that 75 percent of the boats on the lake are not the residents' boats. It is a public resource and other fishermen utilize the lake. Dick Osgood has run the numbers and has found that after 10 years you can treat the entire lake for what is being spent today. The City would just be using the money it contributes to the LMCD and would be getting rid of the harvesters. The costs for Gray's Bay this year are 25 percent less than the first year's budget. In five years, the cost for treating the whole bay will be $15,000 and • that the costs will go down once the problem is under control. McMillan stated it is known that the costs will go down in future years but that the LMCD has concerns at this time about expanding the treatment. Lake Minnetonka is for public use, and as good stewards, the City needs to think of the entire lake. McMillan noted there are people who are against the use of chemicals but that invasive species are very dominant and can ruin the ecology of a lake. McMillan noted that Zebra mussels have changed the ecology of the Great Lakes. It is an ongoing battle on many different fronts to preserve the water quality of Lake Minnetonka. The pilot program is interesting but the City needs to proceed forward with caution. McMillan stated she appreciates the residents becoming aware of the situation and of all the time and effort spent by them. Bremer stated obviously people have differing opinions on whether or not to use chemicals in the lake, and that the City has to look to the LMCD for guidance on this issue. Bremer indicated she is in support of providing funding for the first year but that she does have a concern with future funding of the pilot project. Bremer pointed out the City is not required to do anything next year simply because the City supports it this year. Bremer stated she does not feel that by agreeing to fund it this year the City is legally obligated to fund it in future years but that the city does have the philosophy to protect and preserve the lake. Bremer commented if you look at real estate in other cities, they have a lot higher tax rate than Orono. The lower tax rates are in part because of good financial stewardship of the City. Bremer stated in her view milfoil is one of the causes that steps beyond that and that she would challenge the rest of the Council to think about the huge commitment the City has to Lake Minnetonka. Orono abuts 41 percent of the lakeshore. Carman's Bay is one of the worst bays on the lake for milfoil and that she does not feel this is a slippery slope with other bays requesting funding. Bremer stated she is tired of seeing the signs that say there is milfoil on the lake and that • she has been told that this treatment is our best shot at solving the issue. Kay Owen, Casco Point, stated as a general rule, it is good to make decisions based on facts and data. In this situation the City has the opportunity to fund a research project that will provide facts and data for the future. Page 9 of 15