10-24-2011 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, October 24, 2011 7:00 o'clock p.m. (9. MINNEHAHA CREEK WATERSHED DISTRICT (MCWD) PRESENTATION, Continued) Evenson stated the Board has requested he report back at the end of November. Jabbour stated it is important the Council understand that the DNR has been working very hard on Lake Minnetonka and they have managed to bring in a couple of people from the Corps of Engineers to deal with some of these issues. McDermott indicated he is in agreement with that but that there are 10,000 lakes within the state and the DNR has to spread their resources around. McMillan stated another issue is whether AIS management is even effective and should be studied further. McMillan commented she would have liked to have started a program 15 years ago before some of the AIS spread. If a comprehensive AIS management plan is done, there will be an educational benefit derived from it. The LMCD has discussed a vegetation management plan but they do not have the funding for that program, which could perhaps be something the MCWD could handle. Z McMillan commented there are a number of things that could be done and that she would like to look at some different options that could perhaps be included in a resolution. Mattick stated he has not seen this issue beyond Orono but that there is no doubt the MCWD has certain powers and that it is a matter of how far that power extends. The MCWD could perhaps seek special legislation to clarify their role but that he is not sure at this point what the plan is on that. Mattick stated they could study it, figure out what the issues are, and then regulate it. If you do not take some steps to implement a plan, which is likely going to be some type of regulation, it does no good. Mattick stated the MCWD should come forward with some ideas or solutions on how to deal with the issues. Mattick stated it sounds like the City Council supports the investigation and the hiring of the expert to study the issues and then coming up with a plan on how to coordinate the different mechanisms. Evenson stated the Orono Council is struggling with a lot of the same issues that the MCWD has struggled with. What the MCWD is asking for at this time is whether the City would like the MCWD to undertake the planning process. The City will have a chance to participate in this process along with the LMCD, the DNR, sportsman's groups and other entities. The MCWD cannot do it on their own, but they are willing to take on this challenge after hearing from the lake communities. McMillan indicated the City Council will discuss this further and get back to the MCWD. The City Council took no formal action on this item. PLANNING COMMISSION COMMENTS - LOREN SCHOENZEIT, REPRESENTATIVE Schoenzeit stated he had nothing to report but would be available for questions. PUBLIC COMMENTS None Page 10 of 19 • •