10-10-2016 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, September 26, 2016 7:00 o'clock p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS (continued) Kempf stated they have been very instrumental in the transparency that is going on with the City and that to portray them as exactly the opposite is totally beyond him. Kempf stated the other thing he would like to say is that he was a volunteer and was never paid when he served as a member of the Planning Commission. Kempf stated he recognizes how difficult it is to ask somebody to serve as a planning commissioner since it is a very hard job. Kempf commented it is not as hard as the City Council but that it is a total volunteer job. Kempf stated he is not sure how many of the people that served with him would have served if they were on television. Kempf noted the current Planning Commission has some history and strength but that most of these people are new to the government process and that it is hard to sit in front of contentious citizens and tell them that they cannot do what they want to do but that being on television would make it that much harder. Kempf stated when the City first started televising the Council meetings, one of the things he was concerned about was that there will be a whole bunch of advertising by someone for their campaign because there is an audience. Kempf stated he would encourage the Council to keep that to a minimum since it is not pleasing to watch campaigning from the dais. Kempf noted he did not see this last newsletter, but that it is obvious that the budget for it is well beyond anything that has ever been spent on Orono politics before. Kempf commented he cannot imagine the tens of thousands of dollars that are being spent on this election and that it brings the worst of what is in the national political scene today to Orono. Kempf commented he is terribly disappointed and that he wishes it had not come down from the national level to their hometown. Loren Schoenzeit, 4484 Forest Lake Landing, stated whether the City is spending $200,000 on roads or a million dollars on bonding, he has not really seen any bottom-up costs. Schoenzeit stated whether the goal of the City is to hit every road every 20 years or 25 years, they certainly need to budget a certain percent every year so as to not lose ground. Schoenzeit stated it is not clear if the City is making progress and that he would encourage some bottom-up finance discussions so the Council can figure out what the right number is in order to gain ground and meet a target level. PUBLIC WORKS/CITY ENGINEER REPORT 5. FERNDALE ROAD WEST DRAINAGE STUDY Edwards noted a couple of months ago the Public Works Department was approached by the residents along Shoreline Drive and West Ferndale Road with concerns about increasing water levels in the wetlands that abut and are on their properties. The Public Works Department discovered some maintenance issues that were dealt with but the residents still have concerns about the amount of water that is in the wetlands and the elevation of that water. The Council should consider the following: Changing the elevation or capacity of this culvert would require multi -agency approvals, such as the Army Corps of Engineers and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. Page 13 of 26