05-09-2011 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, May 9, 2011 • 7:00 o'clock p.m. (LMCD REPORT, Continued) interest in compressing that communication process down to two years starling in the 2011 boating season. There has been a shoreline inventory project conducted since 1971. The three primary objectives that have been historically established for the project include the following: One, establish the total number of watercraft stored on Lake Minnetonka; two, outline data collected from historical shoreline boat storage counts; and three, identify any observable trends from the data collected. The total number of watercraft stored in 2010 was 9,230, which was the lowest number of boats for all the years since 2000. Residential watercraft storage provided for 52 percent in the runabout or cruiser classification, while multiple dock facilities provided for 68 percent. Another high priority of the LMCD is to maintain a strong financial foundation. In 2010, the LMCD evaluated its general/administration and AIS management reserve fund policies. Based on the recommendations of the LMCD'S auditor, the LMCD has established a target fund balance for both fund accounts of 30 to 50 percent of annual expenses. Future work is needed on addressing LMCD's equipment replacement fund, which is used for depreciated EWM harvesting equipment. The LMCD has been unable to address the auditor's recommendation due to the LMCD's efforts to keep the member cities' levy flat since 2009 due to the economic challenges. The LMCD will need to address this in the near future. • The Save the Lake Committee was established in the 1970s. It is a non - profit initiative of the LMCD to provide supplemental funding from privately raised, tax- deductible donations. The donations received fund projects that benefit the environmental and recreational needs of Lake Minnetonka which are not currently being funded through the cities' levy and other revenue sources. Donations increased by 29 percent in 2010, from $32,862 to $42,492. Another key priority of the LMCD is to promote public access to Lake Minnetonka. In 2010, the LMCD partnered with the MN DNR on a project to document the number of boat launches at public accesses on Lake Minnetonka during the boating season. The primary purpose of this project was to assess the number of watercraft being launched to properly plan for AIS management and prevention efforts as well as to determine public access. The field work for this project was coordinated by the LMCD from mid April through mid November utilizing a methodology established by the MN DNR. It was determined that 62,112 watercraft were launched at public accesses on Lake Minnetonka in 2010. Activity varied greatly between the bays. In order to ensure that Lake Minnetonka is safe, the Hennepin County Sheriff s Water Patrol enforces the majority of the LMCD's surface use regulations. Approximately 3,535 hours of patrol time were provided in 2010, which is down from 4,011 hours in 2009. The decrease in patrol hours was directly attributed to a decrease in seasonal deputies from one to two. The next closest in patrol hours was the Mississippi River. Fulltime staffing includes a lieutenant, sergeant, six deputies, and two seasonal deputies. The number of citations issued was down from 2009. Another project of the LMCD is the solar light program. Since 2002, red and green solar lights have been • installed on navigational buoys to assist in nighttime navigation. This program has been highly successful and has expanded over the years. The cost for the expansion in 2010 was funded through the Save the Lake Fund. Page 7 of 17