11-28-2016 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, November 28, 2016 7:00 o'clock p.m. LMCD REPORT (continued) Jabbour noted the State of Minnesota allocated $10 million to the elimination of aquatic invasive species and that the City of Minnetonka only received $5,000 out of those funds. Jabbour stated the LMCD Board will need to deal with those issues in the coming years, and that currently, without the private sector, the lake would not function. Jabbour stated in an effort to try to address some of these issues, the LMCD has to enter into partnerships and create better relationships with other government entities. With the $320,000 the LMCD receives, they cannot do much. The LMCD will also have to go back to the legislature to update the work of the LMCD. Jabbour stated a bill has been drafted to restructure the LMCD and that hopefully that will happen. McMillan thanked Gabriel Jabbour for serving on the LMCD for the past two years on behalf of Orono and stated hopefully the LMCD Board will continue to move forward. Jabbour stated he and Jay Green were physically out on the harvesters this summer and found out that things were not run very efficiently. Jabbour stated the LMCD only used two harvesters this year and that they found out that if the motor is pulled back to 1300 rpms rather than 2700 rpms the boat runs a lot smoother, but that the difficulty is getting the workers to do that. Jabbour stated he would like to see the City of Orono send a letter to the sheriff as well as Three Rivers expressing the City's gratitude for all their help. Jabbour stated they have been a major asset on the lake. Council Member Levang asked if the harvesters need to be replaced in the near future. Jabbour indicated they do not and that they should last indefuiitely as long as they are properly maintained. Jabbour stated in order for the board members to make good decisions, they need to be out on the lake periodically so they know what is happening. PUBLIC HEARING 3. 2017 FEE SCHEDULE — ORDINANCE NO. 6697 Finance Director Olson stated each year the City Council reviews the City's Fee Schedule. As part of this process, the City Council has chosen to hold a public hearing to discuss proposed changes in the Fee Schedule for 2017. Fees for water, sewer, and storm water have been set based on a rate study completed in 2008 by the City's financial advisors. The rate study was updated by Staff in December of 2013. Olson stated Staff is recommending a 4 percent increase in sewer fees, an 11 percent increase in the water rates to cover infrastructure needs, a 2.9 percent increase to cover the increase in charges from Waste Management with regard to the City's recycling program, and a 10 percent increase in storm water fees. Olson noted dredging the storm water ponds is the big expense item in that category. Staff is also recommending a $10 back flow preventer registration fee. The new fee is to cover the costs of maintaining a back flow preventer database to track compliance with annual testing requirements. Page 3 of 11