07-14-2014 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, July 14, 2014 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 3 of 19 (PUBLIC COMMENTS, Continued) Printup noted the City’s budget talks are currently underway and that the City Council will likely be discussing Baldur Park Road at some point. Ahrens asked if the City has ever done a design/build project. Consulting City Engineer Martini stated the water tower was the closest thing that was done. Ahrens stated the City could require a guaranteed maximum price and a guaranteed completion date and that it has been done in many places. Dennis Walsh, 1354 Rest Point Circle, stated he is here tonight because he is a little perplexed about the police addition, the rush to do the project, and the amount of money the project would cost. Walsh noted the Laker and Pioneer newspapers talked about the second drawings being completed and how it was discovered that the amount of work was underestimated resulting in a number of items being removed from the project. Walsh noted he appeared before the City Council approximately a month ago and pointed out that there has been no citizen input on the project and no transparency. Walsh stated the City is now faced with a project that will be substandard and that items will likely be added at some point in the future at additional cost. Walsh stated he pointed out to the City Council a month ago that the savings they were talking were going to pay general obligation interest payments and not debt. The police project adds more debt since the City used the actual savings to make interest payments. Walsh stated that is not the kind of financial planning that he wants for his retirement. Walsh noted a number of the current Council members ran on transparency and that now it seems like those Council members have become what they ran against. Walsh stated the police project has now become a debacle since the City Council could not wait to get the project priced correctly and obtain public input prior to approving the project. Walsh stated he sees this as a failure of leadership by the entire City Council. Walsh stated there has also been a failure by the City to enforce its codes, which has led directly to hundreds of thousands of dollars that have been spent by residents of Orono on lawsuits against their neighbors because the City does not enforce its code appropriately. Walsh stated that sends a message that anyone can come in, do whatever they want, and then drag it out. Walsh stated that would then result in those neighbors having to file lawsuits. Walsh stated the last debacle he would like to talk about is the failure of the City in dealing with the lawsuits the City has. Walsh stated the newspapers show that the lawsuits have been going on for years and years with the City Council being on board with the direction being given by the City Attorney concerning the enforcement and the lawsuits. Walsh stated the citizens of those neighborhoods bear the brunt of those issues. Walsh stated the one hope he still has is that there is an election in four months and that in his view there will be some crystal clear alternatives to what is on the City Council today so the residents can have true transparency and open government for the citizens of the great city of Orono.