11-13-2007 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, October 22, 2007 7:00 o’clock p.m. ___________________________________________________________________________________ PAGE 7 (Westonka Schools Update, Continued) McMillan inquired whether it is anticipated that the MN Legislature would change their levy formulas at all. Borg indicated the levies are critical for the schools to have stable funding and that there are some funding discrepancies between schools that do not meet the criteria for an urban school and a rural school, which should be addressed by the Legislature. Murphy asked how much of a collective presence the superintendents of the local schools have and whether the schools collectively could persuade the Legislature to increase their funding. Borg stated there is friendly competition between school districts and that the area schools do a fantastic job with the students in each school district. Borg indicated the local superintendents do get together periodically and discuss issues and how they should be prioritized. Borg noted the open enrollment trend has changed and that Westonka’s open enrollment has more than doubled since 2002-2003. Borg stated a key issue that Westonka faces is the amount of funding required for special education, which currently comprises 20 percent of their budget. Mayor White thanked Superintendent Borg for his update on the Westonka Schools. CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT 10. SPRINT AMENDED LEASE Bremer moved, Murphy seconded, to approve the amended lease agreement with Sprint to enable up to six antennae to be located at the top of the north water tower, with a 2007 lease rate of $18,924.00. VOTE: Ayes 5, Nays 0. CITY ENGINEER’S REPORT City Engineer Kellogg reported on the state aid issues facing Orono at the present time. At the end of last year, the City was in the process of completing their pavement management plan, with one of the requirements that the City needs to fulfill is to certify their mileage for the year, which happens in January. Kellogg noted this is the first year that Bonestroo has been asked to certify the City’s mileage. As part of certifying the mileage for the City, Bonestroo is required to document the miles of streets that exist within the City and the type of streets, which dictates the amount of state aid that the City would receive. Kellogg noted the previous certification of mileage indicated that there was a total mileage in the City of approximately 53 miles, and according to their pavement management plan, in order to reach the 53 miles, all types of streets would need to be added together. Kellogg indicated the MUSA funding statute reads that there is a municipal state aid street system and the extent of the municipal state aid street system should not exceed 20 percent of the total miles of city streets partially or totally within the jurisdiction of the City. Statute 169.01 provides the definition of a street or a highway. Item #02 - CC Agenda - 11/13/07 Approval of Council Minutes 10/22/07 [7 of 10]