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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, April 8, 2013 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 11 of 21 (5. LAKE MINNETONKA ASSOCIATION (LMA) FUNDING REQUEST, Continued) Anderson stated the Watershed District has told the City they are not even really looking at milfoil as a big issue. Since there are so many other things coming down the pike, it would be difficult to commit funds and raise the levy for something when it is not a permanent solution. Tucker noted seven cities out of ten have already said yes to the herbicide treatment. McMillan stated the Watershed District has decided to be more in the prevention business of AIS. McMillan pointed out milfoil has been around since 1987 and that an Orono resident donated the harvesting equipment to the LMCD and another former council member contributed a lot and stepped up to the plate when milfoil first appeared. Orono has been at the forefront of dealing with the milfoil. The residents have lived with milfoil for a long term and now there are zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species. McMillan commented there has been some talk in the past that we could eradicate milfoil through chemical treatments, which was irresponsible because it gave the wrong impression that it would be eradicated through a couple of treatments. Herbicide treatment has never been done on the scale of the size of Lake Minnetonka. Lowe noted the LMA has never taken that stance. McMillan stated they have a solution that works for eight bays and that the issue with the chemicals is that there are other bigger costs associated with it. Mary Tucker noted seven cities have gotten behind them already. Tucker asked at what point does the Council do what their constituents want regarding milfoil. McMillan noted she represents all the citizens of Orono and not just the residents of Carman’s Bay and that the Council has to determine the best way to use taxpayer dollars. Lower noted herbicide treatment is half the cost as harvesting. McMillan stated the whole harvesting program is $60,000 a year, which does not include the DNR. Lowe noted they only do one quarter of the lake with the harvesting. McMillan stated she does not want to spend any more time on this tonight. Levang stated as it relates to Council Member Printup’s point, the Council is being asked constantly to pay for things and the City has a commitment to a flat levy, which affects every citizen. The Council’s job is to manage those scarce resources and make the best decisions they can. The Council does represent all of the citizens and we take that job mighty seriously. Levang commented the City Council is listening to them and to others. While the LMA may think this is a small amount of money, the City Council has a number of other issues on the plate that have to be balanced. Item #02 - CC Agenda - 04/22/2013 Approval of Council Minutes 04/08/2013 [Page 11 of 21]