07-24-2017 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, July 24, 2017 7:00 o'clock p.m. 15. CARMAN BAY LAKE IMPROVEMENT PUBLIC HEARING — RESOLUTION NO. 6781 Reeder stated in November of 2016, the City Council passed a motion directing the Carman Bay residents to move forward with a petition to form a Carman Bay Lake Improvement District. The petition was signed by 82 property owners on Carman Bay and was certified by the City Administrator on June 28, 2017. There are 113 property owners on Carman Bay. All affected property owners were notified by mail about tonight's hearing. The DNR has reviewed the request to establish the CBLID and has approved the proposed boundaries. The purpose of the public hearing tonight is to receive comments from property owners on Carman Bay concerning the establishment of the Carman Bay Lake Improvement District. The estimated cost of the improvement is $20,000 to $30,000 per year. Mayor Walsh opened the public hearing at 7:28 p.m. Steve Nielsen, 3300 Carman Road, stated they are here tonight to ask for approval of the Carman Bay Lake Improvement District. The purpose of the district is to provide a sustainable funding source for the management of aquatic invasive species for Carman Bay via a dedicated locally controlled tax which would be paid by all benefiting property owners. The CBLID would also apply for grants to help fund its programs. The proposed district encompasses the 113 property owners on Carman Bay. Eight -two of those property owners have signed the petition, which is over 72 percent of the property owners. Nielsen noted they did receive the advisory report from the DNR. In order for a LID to be established, the DNR has to approve it, which they have now done. Nielsen stated the full report will be available on their website and that he will be providing a summary of it tonight. The letter written on July 10, 2017, to Mayor Walsh, reads in part as follows: "Dear Mayor Walsh. The MN Department of Natural Resources has reviewed the petition submitted to create the Carman Bay Lake Improvement District and prepared this advisory report in accordance with Minnesota rules and state statutes." The letter also talks about the stated goal of the CBLID, which is to manage existing aquatic invasive species as well as any future AIS that may become established in the bay. Nielsen stated under recommendations and conclusions, the proposed LID boundaries include only the properties adjacent to Carman Bay and it does not include all of Lake Minnetonka. This rule also allows the county board or the City Council to create a boundary less than the entire drainage basin with written commissioner approval if the boundary selected includes a sufficient amount of the lake watershed. The bay is sufficient to address the AIS mitigation for which the LID is being proposed and this practice would be consistent with the history of AIS management as currently conducted in Lake Minnetonka and as described in the Lake Vegetation Management Plan. Therefore, in accordance with these rules, the DNR approves the proposed boundaries identified in the resolution. Nielsen noted in 2016, a full bay treatment was done but the bay had not been treated for two years previous to that so there was a significant amount of milfoil. That treatment was successful. In 2017, the treatment of the bay for milfoil and curly reed cost the residents $30,000, and for 2018, the estimated cost is $20,000. Nielsen stated with consistent funding, the costs go down and the amount of chemicals used is less. Page 3