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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-22-2020 Council Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. ROLL CALL The Orono City Council met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: Mayor Dennis Walsh, City Council Members Richard Crosby, III, Matt Johnson,and Victoria Seals. The following members were absent: Aaron Printup. Representing Staff were City Administrator Dustin Rief, Community Development Director Jeremy Barnhart,City Planner Laura Oakden,and Public Works Director/City Engineer Adam Edwards. Mayor Walsh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF AGENDA CONSENT AGENDA 1. CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF JUNE 8,2020 2. COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES OF JUNE 8,2020 3. CLAIMS/BILLS 4. CITY OF ORONO TEXT AMENDMENT RELATED TO UTILITY BILLING— ORDINANCE 246, THIRD SERIES 5. APPROVAL OF RENTAL LICENSES 6. COVID-19 PREPAREDNESS PLAN 7. 2020 CRACK SEALING 8. SOUTHWAYS DEVELOPMENT—FORMAL ACCEPTANCE OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS—RESOLUTION 7106 9. APPROVAL TO ACCEPT DONATION—COLIN CHARLSON 10. DISPOSAL OF FIREARMS 11. REQUEST TO HIRE FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICER 12. LA20-000028,BAYCLIFF HOMES O/B/O DAVID AND WENDY JACOBSEN-RETSCH, 2440 OLD BEACH ROAD,VARIANCE—RESOLUTION 7107 13. LA20-000031,DALE GUSTAFSON,2927 CASCO POINT ROAD,VARIANCES- RESOLUTION 7108 Crosby moved, Seals seconded,to approve the Consent Agenda as submitted.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. Page 1 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mr. Richie Anderson, 3205 Crystal Bay Road, Lake Minnetonka Conservation District(LMCD) representative for Orono. He stated he sent the preliminary 2020 budget to the City and got a response from Walsh about the $50,000 item and Rief commented that a couple items did not seem to line up. He said there is a rounding error for the City of Orono. Last year the LMCD wanted to raise the levy 2.4 %, and he went to the City of Minnetonka Beach because he has property there. He does not know much about the information on the top part of the budget; if the Council has issues,they will have to look into it. He said there was no Aquatic Invasive Species(AIS)prevention in 2019, but they hired a study for $100,000 which is included in the$118,238 number. This year another study has been approved for $50,000. In 2021 there is$75,000 designated for that. The LMCD is not doing anything with harvesting or AIS. Lake Minnetonka Association(LMA)got$35,000 worth of grants;the LMCD did not get anything because they do not know how to do so. He said the process might be that the preliminary budget gets sent to the cities first for input,but the Board has never officially voted on it.As far as AIS management,this year they are going to hire a guy to study it again for$50,000;they are not doing treatment. He noted a few years ago he and Gabe Jabbour shut the harvesting down. Seals noted those two gentlemen did all the work. Mr.Anderson said if you think about shutting down the harvesting,you would assume there would be money for chemicals. He does not know if the Board is anti-chemical,but chemical treatments work. He has proof in his corner of the bay,which Johnson can attest to. He noted the equipment is sitting there and should be sold. There is $125,000 for equipment replacement in the budget and$157,000 in the Save the Lake fund. Crosby asked what the study money is specifically for. Mr. Anderson said he wished he could tell him;he has no idea. Walsh indicated he thought it was padding the budget so the budget can be kept up even though they lost the harvesting. Once the budget is brought down, it would look really bad to have to jack it back up. Crosby stated if the chemical treatment is doing a nice job,the money should be moved there. Seals asked if anyone knows what they found regarding the $150,000 study. Mr.Anderson said if anyone wanted to read about 100 pages of bull,they should read the report. He stated the chemicals work, so spend$100,000 on chemicals and put them in the lake. The LMCD did not spend a dime. Walsh stated that is why everyone is trying to get the Lake Improvement Districts(LIDs)going,because it bypasses this kind of stuff. Crosby said these are dollars that are being wasted which could be supplementing the lake. Mr. Anderson agreed with Crosby but indicated it would not happen because it is a rounding error for the City of Orono. Page 2 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Johnson asked Mr. Anderson if he was talking about the 2%increase as being a rounding error. Mr. Anderson stated all of it is because the City has never complained and they are paying the LMCD $50,000. He clarified and said Orono complains but doesn't do anything about it. Walsh noted there is nothing the City can do about it. Mr.Anderson said it then becomes a non-factor. He stated there are some factors. For instance,at the last meeting the Water Patrol (WP)was looking for$42,000 because they wanted to hire another Deputy full- time. There was a discussion with the Save the Lake, who has the money for that. The Chairman of the Save the Lake Board made a motion for$35,000. He noted that Libbs Lake was previously shut down for $3,000.After the motion was made for$35,000,he himself amended it to the full$42,000 and had strong support for the$42,000.Another guy made a motion for$38,000, which was simple math because the $3,000 was already there. He stated previous to the discussion of this meeting, Mr.Jabbour and he were going to make up the difference between what the Save the Lake gave them and the $42,000 the WP wanted. He said it was really strange, defunding the police, and he does not get it. If the WP wants $42,000,they should get it.The WP is out there taking care of things, and the Board wants to cut them short and make them beg for$7,000. He made a motion for$42,000 and had a lot of support. The Chairman allowed an amendment to the amendment for$38,000, and that is what was voted on. Walsh asked if that motion passed. Mr. Anderson said it passed for$38,000,an amendment to the amendment. The attorney present indicated he does not like to do that, and the Chairman said he would not do it again. He stated he made a personal donation of$2,500,which was more than the City of Minnetonka Beach. Mr.Jabbour and he funded $2,000 each for their marinas, and the WP got the full$42,000. The Save the Lake fund has $157,000, and they cannot fund the WP for a full-time Deputy, which is unbelievable. He displayed an aerial photo where flowering rush is problematic and said the LMCD will not spend one dime to help deal with the treatment. Mr.Jabbour took on the treatment of Big Island at his cost. He suggested to Mr. Jabbour that they partner with the LMA,and they each donated up to $5,000 for the Orono area. He indicated the flowering rush resides where the harvesting occurred. He said the LMA,Mr.Jabbour, and he funded the eradication of flowering rush and that the Department of Natural Resources(DNR) is starting to figure out the LMA is the entity on the lake for getting stuff done. He stated the thinking has to change, because if there is any way to get funds to the LMA, he would like to do so. Crosby asked if there was any flowering rush in Carman Bay. Mr. Anderson, after locating Carman Bay on the document, stated they apparently did not. He noted the data received from the $100,000 spent was already in existence and another$50,000 is being spent this year and$75,000 more is being contemplated. Seals asked how Walsh could start working with the LMA and stop working with the LMCD. Mr.Anderson said he did not know. He stated if he could change the Council's thinking as to who the group is,the group should be the LMA. Walsh stated they did not need government units,that private units will take care of it. He noted LIDs is essentially the same way,that it is almost a public-private partnership.As far as what to do with the Page 3 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. LMCD,that is a ball of twine with a lot of knots in it. He told Mr.Anderson that he is doing a great job in making sure the LMCD understands who is doing the work and who is getting stuff done. Mr. Anderson indicated that is why he presented the information the way he did,because he sends emails out, but it's on-camera here and other people might take interest. If you think about it, the LMCD is non- existent with LIDs. Seals asked Mr.Anderson what he needed from the Council. Mr. Anderson said he did not know but wanted to give the presentation. He is charging forward with the help of Mr. Jabbour and the head of the LMA,Eric Evenson. Mr. Gabriel Jabbour, 985 Tonkawa Road, said Mr. Anderson is doing an unbelievable job and he is very lonely up there because the Board is having a hard time listening to him. He said 100%of the product LMCD produced was done by Dick Osgood, him, and other agencies. The only thing the LMCD did is gather it and put it in a binder. They only hear about an incremental increase of the budget,which is 2%. They are hoarding money and have always hoarded money. He was told by a Board member that they needed the upcoming$75,000 study to back them up as far as stopping harvesting. He noted if people want to have cocktail parties and get patted on the back, you don't run for election and you don't get appointed;you go to the clubhouse and have a good time. When you get to be behind the bench,you are going to have to work hard and make difficult decisions. Regarding the Special Deputy,that started almost 25 years ago, where the private sector decided they wanted an incremental increase to the service the County provided. He noted it couldn't be more important than this year,because the volunteers are not there. There used to be 54 volunteers; it is down to 20,they can't work because of the virus, and most of them are retiring. They had six gun-holders,now there are 16,but nobody is here because of the riots downtown. They thought if they had a car with a sunroof and power steering,they would buy that incremental increase. They did not want the taxpayers to pay for it, so they thought they would pay for it themselves or they'd have Save the Lake pay for it. He said your quality of life is affected by law and order, which is no more clearer than today. That is why he was extremely against Mark; he had 54 pages of police reports and nuisance calls and was pulling people from fires to respond to garbage complaints. His feeling on the matter is that the LMCD neither has the expertise nor the setup in order to implement anything. He noted when he came in to complain to the Council, by fluke both he and Mr. Anderson attended the same meeting.Now it is 2-3 years later,there is no harvesting, and 100% of the business model has changed.Now when they tell the Council something could be done better,they are showing the Council it could be done better. He discussed who was helping take care of the lake such as the Mayor's wife, a former Planning Commissioner/Council Member, Mr. Anderson, and himself. They are not bragging;they are saying what is wrong and what is right. As elected officials,they have to decide how they are going to handle the agencies. He noted there is not one single project the Metro Council had that they didn't like, and that if someone comes in with a$2 million project,they will say it should be a$25 million project. Because he and Mr. Anderson are saying the LMCD is not doing things right,the LMCD has spent$25,000 promoting themselves, which totals$100,000 on a$350,000 levy. It would be like the City Council spending$100,000 out of$350,000 on parties. Walsh stated the problem is there is no accountability. Mr.Jabbour stated the LMCD spent two years on Facebook and their website telling people that what they are doing is right,to find out that what they are doing is wrong. All the data they need already exists. The DNR told the LMCD they would like to go back to the 2012 documents which he/LMA/DNR Page 4 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. generated. He said 100%of the agencies who participated in the process washed their hands in writing from the results. It's really a big mountain to climb and he is glad Mr. Evenson is doing it. Johnson thanked Mr.Anderson and Mr.Jabbour for their work, noting that since Mr.Anderson has been the LMCD rep,there has been a level of visibility the City has not previously had. He said he has been at LMCD meetings and watched while the Board does not really answer Mr.Anderson's concerns and then go to a vote. He stated Mr.Anderson is gaining traction and at some point,the facts come to a head. He offered the City of Orono's help in whatever way possible. He commented that the LMCD's reserves are at a ridiculous amount. They force through very small increases year after year and it is not worth people's time to push back, but over the last many years it is a lot of extra taxpayer money going to them. Seals suggested she and Johnson go to an LMCD meeting. Walsh said it will put more pressure on the LMCD with more LIDs being done and he is counting on them to get the Crystal Bay LID done. Crosby indicated if the LMCD is unwilling to take proper action to clean up the lake and using new, proven ways such as chemical treatment, Orono needs to look at what steps need to be taken to defund them and move the money so it would be used properly and effectively. Currently the LMCD is wasting money on studies, self-promotion, and salaries for non-action. Mr.Anderson said the LMA has the chemical part figured out, and the banner has been taken away from the LMCD because their banner was harvesting.Now all the bull is going for AIS, but there is no money going into the lake. The public-private partnership has stuck in his craw ever since that campaign started. This is his `hood, he has made a lot of money in his `hood, and he is putting it back in the `hood. He noted the LMA is the new gorilla on the lake as far as DNR permitting,getting grants, etc. He stated that Mr. Evenson got around$30,000 in grants and the LMCD did not get anything. Seals stated the City Council appreciates Mr. Anderson and Mr.Jabbour fighting the good fight. City Council Members thanked Mr. Anderson for his work. Mr.Anderson noted he will be upset with a bunch of Orono residents because of the wakeboard boats, but that is another discussion.He said at Pelican Rapids the flowering rush has taken over the lake,you can't even move, and it is much worse than milfoil. He noted Mr. Evenson is a true environmentalist. PRESENTATION 14. ANNUAL PUBLIC HEARING FOR MS4 STORMWATER PERMIT Mayor Walsh opened the public hearing at 6:29 p.m. Edwards noted as part of the MS4 permit,there needs to be an annual public meeting to discuss the stormwater system. The goals of the meeting are education,to receive comments,and to meet the requirements of the permit. He stated stormwater management rules and plans are complicated and a myriad of overlapping regulations,guidance, and jurisdictions between federal, state,watershed, and city governments. Up for discussion is the Municipal Separate Stormwater System permit which the City gets from the (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)MPCA which comes to them from the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). The purpose of the permit revolves around water quality, whether it be surface Page 5 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. water,the groundwater, or drinking water. The basic requirements of the permit include that the City has a stormwater pollution prevention program, prepares annual reports, adjusts ordinances as required by the State, and creates stormwater system mapping, all of which the City does.There are six control measures discussed in the permit: 1)education,2)public participation and involvement, 3) illicit discharge, detection and elimination. He noted in 2019 there was one incident with an illicit discharge of a sewer service line which was discharging into a creek and was corrected within one day of discovery;4) construction site stormwater runoff, 5)post-construction stormwater, 6)the City practices good housekeeping and maintains their own systems and infrastructure. He displayed the 2019 Compliance Activities. He noted that last year they finished a five-year period of studying the City's stormwater ponds in the system, both public and private. The main goal was to figure out who owned what,where they were, and how they functioned together. He said the City did all of its normal construction inspections, erosion control both with the City and in partnership with the MCWD(Minnehaha Creek Watershed District). Last year,the City Staff did 293 different tasks that were stormwater-focused;the budget for the City for stormwater-related items was about$300,000. They do their normal grass/leaf disposal programs at the City. Their street-sweeping program removed an estimated 58 pounds of phosphorus that would have otherwise made its way into the water systems. They also updated all of the storm maps.As far as 2020 activities,they are on hold while waiting for the new MS4 permit requirements from the State to make the necessary adjustments. Everyone's permits expired in 2018 and everyone is waiting for the MPCA to get through their process to renew the permit. Until then,the City is operating under the old permit guidelines. This year 20%of the storm system will be inspected and conduct normal maintenance operations and sweeping. Stormwater improvements were included in both the streets project and the separate stormwater project,which the City Council awarded at the last meeting. There is a Request For Proposal and bid for the East Long Lake Trail Project which has some stormwater improvements in it. Mayor Walsh closed the public hearing at 6:34 p.m. 15. ACCEPT DONATION FROM BIG ISLAND LEGACY Walsh noted the Big Island Legacy has raised a large amount of money and its representative,Tom Kolar, would like to talk about it and present a donation. Tom Kolar,Treasurer and Big Island Legacy Board Member said it has been quite a journey. He noted it is not easy getting money out of people, and if not for Mayor Walsh,the amount donated would be much smaller. He stated the trails are now mowed and usable. It will be a nice park with the additional improvements that are going to be made. Walsh noted Mr. Kolar has a house on Big Island. Mr. Kolar confirmed he did and stated, as Treasurer of the Big Island Legacy, he bequeathed to the City of Orono the sum of$58,000. Johnson moved,Crosby seconded,to accept the donation of$58,000 from the Big Island Legacy. VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. FINANCE DIRECTOR REPORT Walsh noted the City Council consented to the Finance Director Report. Page 6 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. PLANNING DEPARTMENT REPORT 16. LA20-000003,JOHN NEWELL, 1485 SIXTH AVE N, SKETCH PLAN Staff presented a summary of packet information. She noted the Applicant was present. Johnson asked what Conservation Design includes. Barnhart stated Conservation Design includes tree inventory and wetland inventory. It goes into more detail in terms of vistas and natural communities within the area that would not necessarily fall under trees or wetlands. From City Staff's standpoint, on a project like this,where it is still a rural development, there is a lot of benefit out of the tree inventory and wetland things rather than the expense of doing the full Conservation Design. The Conservation Design looks at vistas and ecological communities within the area that would not necessarily fall under the tree or the wetland inventory. Johnson commented he did not know what a vista is. Barnhart indicated an example was a view shed. Rief clarified that it was like when you look out of your window. He said it comes up in variances,that when there is a house that is set back from the lake and there is a variance to put it in closer to the average lakeshore and exclude that house. Walsh said it goes into more detail about the area on things that would have little to no impact. Rief stated Walsh was correct. Johnson asked at what size the existing ordinance comes into play. Oakden stated if the subdivision is five acres or larger, or the density is greater than one unit per two acres. Crosby asked if the road would become private. Oakden said currently it is an existing shared driveway that serves three properties. They are proposing a private road with a short cul-de-sac to serve the two new lots being created,then terminating the cul-de- sac and leaving the existing shared driveway as an entrance off the new cul-de-sac. Walsh stated they would be upgrading the front part of the road for the two houses, basically. Oakden agreed that is what is being proposed with the sketch plan. Johnson suggested,regarding the ecological study, looking at the ordinance to see if it should be modified so if the Council does not think it is necessary for this size of development,there could be triggers in the language that prevents people from having to come in front of the City Council. Walsh indicated it could be brought down to the Staff level and they could be given more discretion. Page 7 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Barnhart stated similar language is being introduced in the new subdivision code which the Council would see in a couple of months. Mr. John Newell, 1485 County Road 6,said they are looking at a lot of land that they are paying a lot of taxes on. The lot is ideally set up for subdivision into two parcels. The original owners looked at it and were trying to get four lots on the lower level at one point and then backed out.They are dealing with four acres per site. The lots are totally secluded so the houses will not be seen from the new road that is going in. Walsh and Seals stated they like less density. Crosby noted the plan looks good. Johnson asked Mr.Newell to speak about his opinion on the septic. Mr.Newell said his understanding is there is no septic(sewer and water)on County Road 6 and the closest septic is the subdivision to the west. He has no idea what the low-pressure system is about, but it is about six football fields from that location. It is all extremely wooded. He does not know how the system works but does not see it easily being done. Walsh noted it would probably be expensive. Mr.Newell said he does not have a clue. Walsh said it would be expensive if it would have to go six football fields as far as trenching and putting pipe in. Crosby stated the lots would all be septic lots. Walsh said it is a sketch plan showing two septic fields. Mr.Newell said they have had it perc'd and the four areas shown all perc. Walsh noted the Applicant is looking for direction and seeing if the sketch plan looks good. He stated he does not see anything that looks bad or there are any issues. He asked if it was a two-acre minimum area. Mr.Newell indicated that it was. Johnson noted it is also not a MUSA(Municipal Utility Service Area) issue. Barnhart clarified that it is in the MUSA but Staff reads the language as if it is available, and six football fields away is not necessarily available. The Applicant could connect if he wanted to; it would not be required. Johnson asked if Staff was comfortable with the septic system on the plan. Oakden and Barnhart indicated they were. Page 8 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. The City Council Members stated it looks like a good plan. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Johnson said Edwards spent more time with Golden Valley and South St. Paul with respect to the time-of- sale inspection. He noted he was the only one who opposed it. He is still adamantly against that vehicle but is 100%for dealing with the problem. They have tightened up some loose ends. One unintended consequence of the process is a new term, "illicit discharge,"which is Public Works' way of saying you have a sewer line that is completely disconnected and the sewer is going in the ground. He learned that Edwards will be responsible for conveying to Orono's citizens that the purpose of the ordinance is the intrusion-of-water issue. It is not to find damaged or broken existing sewer lines. However, it will be an unintended consequence, because when they start looking at the videos,they are going to find dips, breaks, and tree roots. Seals asked how the City was going to address some of those things. She said during a certain time period when people were building houses,the sump pump, etc., was actually routed into the sewer. Johnson noted the intended consequence is to identify some of the stuff that is not supposed to be happening. Seals indicated there are probably more of those situations than what the City knows about. Johnson said one thing that will happen is the City is going to attempt to do this and will not be able to get their cameras down because there are going to be so many roots,etc. They will have to tell homeowners that they need to get a Roto-Rooter type of company to clean the line and then reschedule for them to come back.He noted in the real estate business,time is often of the essence. As time goes on,people will get used to it. He is trying to provide input for the first roll-out, where people are not going to know. He said he asked Edwards what happens when a title company closes it because they do not know about the new ordinance, as it was not communicated to everyone. He stated there is a lot to learn and that other cities told him it is harder to roll out than they ever thought. The theory is good and the cities think it is the right thing to do and it has saved taxpayer money. The City and Riefs responsibility is the communication component,which includes the realtors, residents, and title companies. It is not an easy process and he heard that there is not a lot of cooperation from the Minnesota Board of Realtors, because it does not support the time-of-sale inspections. He noted there were a lot of pitfalls coming. Seals asked if there was any way to avoid any of the pitfalls. Walsh commented that this is getting in the way of somebody's business,and there will be problems when closings are impacted. There may be no silver bullet, but the City should get the best system possible and move it forward until everyone gets used to it. Johnson stated one of his concerns about what they are rolling out is the consequence of non-compliance: the surcharge on a bill. If it gets scoped out and there is a$10,000 problem, an owner can choose to pay the surcharge.Also,the City is giving 90 days for compliance. If there is illicit discharge, which is a sewer line that is broken,the City cannot give people 90 days to fix an illicit surcharge. He was told it would fall into another area of the code. He indicated that it needs to state in the ordinance that it's a reference point, because the City would red-tag that house and they cannot run water in any capacity through that house until it is fixed.The City, in doing the inspection,has to advertise what the timeline will be for the City to do them,because people will start to rely on that process. Orono's certificate is Page 9 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. good for ten years,but if there is a dip in it,the City will not say there is a correction there. The City is only looking for the intrusion of water. For other cities, it is kind of a sewer inspection,too. On the consumer/realtor side it will be confusing,because most of it identifies any issues. Seals asked if Johnson was hinting that the City should have it identify any issues. Johnson indicated he was not hinting that, because then the City is also saying there is no problem, and if the new buyer has a problem the next year,could they come back and say the City said there were no problems, and so who is at fault. He is saying it is a communication component that Rief and his team will be responsible for. Walsh noted he does not think there is any silver bullet. He said every city is different, as he was at one of his buildings for six hours in Golden Valley, and he knows their drill. Johnson stated on the commercial side it is atypical and that it may be the City's opportunity to squeeze it to a commercial business when they are changing hands. Walsh said he had four in the same building,they have to do all of them, and it takes time. Johnson stated he also talked to Edwards about thinking of a way for the City to have an incentive-based program for people to do this proactively. He noted Edwards is uncomfortable with the idea that the government says, "We're coming into your house because we need to fix this problem." Rief commented that he is also uncomfortable with the idea. Johnson suggested there may be an incentive-based program that gets people to want to do the inspection so they know they are good for the next ten years. Walsh noted however it is rolled out,there will be tweaks along the way to constantly better the City's ordinances. Johnson said he is very suspicious of what the City has budgeted for the actual expense and the number given is a best-case scenario. Edwards does not know how this is going to go, but he has been doing these in different cities for residential real estate transactions, and the inspection will uncover a lot of problems. He commented that as long as things go down, no one thinks about sewer lines and assumes there aren't any problems. If there are tree roots going through the pipes or there are buckles, it's very expensive. It can also be weather-dependent at times. There will be an enormous amount of hiccups, it gets complicated, and he would like to see more of a proactive approach holistically. For instance, a map could be created saying, "This is the biggest problem area in the City"which would come from Met Council data. Rief stated he and Edwards have discussed the issue thoroughly and have looked at it lift station by lift station. There is a flat rate of$276 a quarter; now it has changed to monthly. You look at your sewer charge, but there could be a lift station section and those people will be given an incentive by the City saying, "We know this problem is coming from your neighborhood. Do this inspection so we know it's not you, or you are going to get a charge of X amount because you are in the area."He asked Johnson if that is what he was thinking. Page 10 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Johnson indicated that is what he was thinking. He noted that would be a chipping-away approach. He is shocked it is such a big issue. He said it will not get cheaper and the Met Council gets to write their own bill. Walsh stated he has not seen the Met Council reduce their bills. Johnson said the City's constituents do not realize the cost. Crosby stated it has to be about the communication. The City needs to identify what needs to be done and keep pushing it. Johnson said the City did very well at taking extra money for the cost of water out of the general fund. That meant that people that were on wells were subsidizing the cost for people that were getting City water. By segregating,they are telling their constituents, "This is your expense and you have to be responsible for it."He stated that people have control over water usage and it's usually only when the water bill gets really high that they care about it. If somebody is subsidizing it, it shortens the reaction time. This does not affect anyone with a septic system,because they are not contributing to the problem. It is only people that are on City sewer. He suggested Staff/Council continue to think about other ways for incentives to save money on their bill. Walsh said it is the City's responsibility to make sure it gets done, and there has to be a forced approach because otherwise it will never get done. Rief noted one thing that has been done in the past is sump pump inspections house-by-house,which is part of the process whenever the City goes in for whatever reason. Johnson stated that can be done as a function of this inspection, which is why he is saying it might take more time to uncover where people are putting their discharges for their sump pumps,because they could be running them underground and into the curb, and so forth. Crosby wished everyone a post-Happy Father's Day. He gave a shout out to the Police and First Responders,thanking them during these very trying times. He said their hard work does not go unnoticed. Seals stated the LMCD upsets her because, for instance, she doesn't understand how an entity can spend $150,000 on a study. Crosby suggested the entire City Council should show up for a meeting. Johnson said the LMCD does not care. The question really becomes, how does Orono get other cities to care. Crosby said if they watch,the funding is going into testing and public relations, and that is taxpayer dollars. Walsh stated that is why he thinks, as they get more and more LIDs, it is going to erode the need for the organization. Seals said she would have no problem shifting the City's funds to the LMA, because they are accomplishing something. She said she took her boat out on Stubbs Bay, and there were so many weeds Page 11 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. that it was ridiculous. She wondered if the LMCD was even looking at the lake.There does not need to be another study; everyone knows there are a lot of weeds. There is also a lot of data to say how to get rid of them, much like the carp study. Crosby stated it would be okay for the LMCD to be effective. He does not disagree that the LMA has been more effective, but if the LMCD turned themselves around and went with a similar line of thinking as the LMA,they could be effective. Seals said that is her big question, how does that get fixed, because it is a waste of people's money. Johnson stated that seven cities need to point in the same direction and instruct their representative and get the by-laws changed. Crosby said he finds it interesting that other cities are okay with consistently paying for studies. Walsh noted it was because they do not care, because they are paying so little and do not want to be part of a controversy. Rief said it is a blip on Minnetonka's budget; they write a$65-68,000 check from their$50 million budget. Seals stated it is not about the amount. It is wasteful;the LMCD should be using the money wisely. She suggested again going to an LMCD meeting. Johnson said they are not doing live meetings yet and are still remote. Seals commented that the restaurants have people sitting outside,which is good.The local kids are getting excited because Governor Walz is slowly loosening the restraints for kids' sports. She read an article out of the UK which stated kids are more likely to get hit by lightning than get coronavirus. Kids are still doing tournaments;they are going out-of-state. She noted she loves and supports the Police. Crosby encouraged everyone to support the restaurants because they are still hurting with limited seating. Walsh noted it was a great Father's Day. They got out in the boat the first time this year. He said it is still crazy to see all the stuff going on in Downtown Minneapolis.The City Council will be off for three weeks;there will only be two more meetings before the election season opens up. He encouraged everyone to be safe and enjoy the lake,because the 4th of July is coming up. He stated 95%of all incidents happen the four days before and after the 4th of July. He also asked for people to not discharge anything out into the lake. CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT Rief noted road construction is still in full swing. He took a lot of notes related to Mr. Anderson's comments and there will be a meeting to discuss a few of the items. He said it is hard to justify supporting continued studies with no action. He will be asking what the equipment replacement funds and the Save the Lake funds are going to be used for. People are asking for assistance;they should put a program in place that can do that. City Staff worked with Gary at The Narrows to get their expanded patio on the back side and worked with him and the County to get the front side approved as well. He said they have Page 12 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 22,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. worked a lot on the mandated COVID-19 preparedness policy,training staff,and have had interviews for the position open at the front desk. He noted elections are coming up. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT None. Walsh noted the City did a Proclamation honoring June 23 as International Widows Day. He stated there are currently 14 million widows in the United States,250 million widows globally, and 585,000 minor children who are directly affected by the loss of a father. There was a Minneapolis West chapter established in 2013 that serves to empower women in widowhood within the Orono area which helps to provide them with tools to lean into life,build resilience, and make positive differences in their own lives with others in the community. He read as follows: "Therefore, I, Dennis Walsh, Mayor of Orono, do hereby proclaim June 23 as International Widows Day, a United Nations Day of Observance, and I encourage all citizens to join me in recognizing and supporting the Minneapolis West Chapter of Modern Widows Club in raising awareness for the need for advocacy, mentoring, and leadership for women in widowhood." ADJOURNMENT Crosby moved,Seals seconded,to adjourn the Orono City Council meeting at 7:16 p.m.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. ATTEST: .4.,A ► _1 Anna Carlson, City Clerk Dennis Walsh,Mayor Page 13 of 13