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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-08-2023 City Council Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 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 Matt Johnson,Alisa Benson, and Victoria Seals. Richard Crosby III was absent. Representing Staff were City Attorney Soren Mattick, City Administrator/Engineer Adam Edwards,Public Works Superintendent David Goman,Finance Director Ron Olson, Community Development Director Laura Oakden, City Planner Melanie Curtis and Fire Chief James Van Eyll. Mayor Walsh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.,followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was approved by consensus. CONSENT AGENDA 1. CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 24,2023 2. COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES OF APRIL 24,2023 3. CLAIMS/BILLS 4. APPROVAL OF 2023 GARBAGE HAULER LICENSES 5. APPROVAL OF RENTAL LICENSE 6. AUTHORIZATION TO PROMOTE TONY WITTKE—POLICE DEPUTY CHIEF 7. AUTHORIZATION TO PROMOTE RYAN SPENCER—POLICE SERGEANT 8. AUTHORIZATION TO ACCEPT RESIGNATION OF HUNTER BUCHANAN—PART- TIME CSO(CADET) 9. AUTHORIZATION TO ACCEPT RESIGNATION OF CHRIS FISCHER— RESOLUTION NO.7360 10. APPROVAL OF WAGE ADJUSTMENT FOR LELS LOCAL 40 11. 2023 STREET MAINTENANCE PROJECT (23-001)—AWARD 12. EMERGENCY WATERMAIN BYPASS AND NEW WATERMAIN INSTALLATION AT THE COFFEE BRIDGE 13. LA23-00002 - 1449 AND 1475 SHORELINE DRIVE,VACATION—RESOLUTION NO. 7361 This item was removed from the Consent Agenda 14. LA23-000008—DAVID CHARLEZ DESIGNS—DAVID ZWEBER, 1340 VINE PLACE, VARIANCES--RESOLUTION NO. 7362 Page 1of12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. 15. LA23-000019—AS DESIGNS OB/O WILLIAM AND MARTA MELIN, 1940 SHADYWOOD ROAD,VARIANCES—RESOLUTION NO. 7363 This item was removed from the Consent Agenda 16. LA23-000015—SWANSON HOMES,3017 NORTH SHORE DRIVE,PRELIMINARY PLAT—RESOLUTION NO.7365 17. LA23-000016—CAROLINA CANO-GARNICA,2160 WAYZATA BOULEVARD WEST, CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT—RESOLUTION NO.7366 18. APPOINTMENT OF PARKS AND PLANNING COMMISSIONERS—RESOLUTION NO. 7367 AND RESOLUTION NO. 7368 19. APPOINTMENT OF 2023 SEASONAL EMPLOYEES V4 22. LONG LAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT OVERAGE This item was added to the Consent Agenda Johnson moved, Seals seconded,to approve the Consent Agenda as amended. VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REPORT 13. LA23-00002 - 1449 AND 1475 SHORELINE DRIVE,VACATION—RESOLUTION NO. 7361 Community Development Director Oakden explained this proposal is to vacate portions of unused right- of-way abutting 1449 and 1475 Shoreline Drive. The right-of-way was acquired by the County in 2020 for the County Rd. 15 and the Tanager Bridge project. Portions of that right-of-way were not needed to support the road improvements. She said at this time it is appropriate to vacate the unused rights-of-way and the County returns them to the City as the governing body to complete that vacation process. Benson said her purpose in asking for this item to be removed from the consent agenda was to get clarification of the reason for the vacation,which Oakden's report provided. Seals moved,Johnson seconded,to approve LA23-00002 - 1449 and 1475 Shoreline Drive,Vacation —Resolution NO. 7361,.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. 15. LA23-000019—AS DESIGNS OB/O WILLIAM AND MARTA MELIN, 1940 SHADYWOOD ROAD,VARIANCES—RESOLUTION NO.7363 City Planner Curtis said the property is on the north side of Coffee Channel and is almost entirely in the 75-foot lake setback.The applicant is proposing to build a new two-story home on the existing footprint. Because the home and property are non-conforming, she said,the following variances are requested: side yard setback variance on the north side to permit a 2.7 foot setback from the side lot line; a 75-foot Lake setback variance due to the majority of the property being located in the 75-foot setback; an average Lakeshore setback variance to permit a 1.4 foot encroachment into the average Lakeshore setback consistent with the existing home on the property; and hardcover variances to permit hardcover in Page 2 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. the 75-foot setback and for the total site hardcover to exceed 25 percent. Proposed is 28.9 percent where 27.9 present exists. Curtis said in April the planning Commission reviewed the application and voted to recommend approval of the variances with recommendation that the existing mature trees on the property be fenced or protected to the extent possible during construction. Staff recommends approval. Benson asked about the walkway in the 75-foot and questioned if the homeowner could be asked to use a pervious material. Curtis said typically within the75-foot setback there is no hard cover credit for using pervious materials so it was not proposed, but could be requested. Walsh noted over time most pervious materials become impervious due to becoming full of sand and other debris. Benson moved, Seals seconded,to approve LA23-000019—AS Designs o/b/o William and Marta Melin, 1940 Shadywood Road,Variances—Resolution NO. 7363 with the additional condition of using a pervious substance on the new portion of the walkway.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. 20. LA22-000058 — MATTHEW TIERNEY/SHOREWOOD PROPERTIES, 2305 BAYVIEW PLACE &PID 17-117-23-44-0032 (ADDRESS UNASSIGNED)—SKETCH PLAN Curtis said the applicant is requesting non-binding feedback on his request to rearrange the lot lines of the property to create two more uniformly-shaped lots. The proposal results in 2305 Bayview gaining land and the other lot losing land,but makes two rectangular lots instead of one lot being L-shaped. The change results in the creation of a new non-conformity, she said, so the boundary line adjustment does not qualify for an administrative approval without prior approval of a variance. Staff finds the existing configuration to be awkward with the L shaped lot wrapping around the 2305 property, she said. Both properties are currently non-conforming.Although the proposed configuration includes the need for variances on each lot,the orientation proposed may make more sense based on the increased buildable width for the one lot and a more standard shape for both lots. The Planning Commission reviewed and directed the applicant to apply for lot area and lot with variances in conjunction with an administrative subdivision exception to move the boundary lines rather than going through the platting process. No formal action is required tonight, Curtis said. Council should discuss and provide the applicant with direction. Johnson asked about next steps if the variances were granted. Curtis said if the variances were granted staff can proceed with a subdivision exception,which is an administrative boundary line adjustment. Johnson said he believes the preliminary plat process to do a rearrangement would be a significant burden.He said if the Council is comfortable with the proposal, it seems more reasonable to simply re- draw two existing lots. He noted the Council is just seeing a sketch plan and the applicant would have to come back with a formal request. Benson asked if the change in orientation would affect traffic flow. Page 3 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Curtis said currently access is from Bayview Place but the second lot could opt to have a driveway off of Navarre Lane. Walsh said he sees this proposal dividing two non-conforming lots to make two more useable non- conforming lots. He asked if the applicant had anything to say. Jacob Kompelien, 615 Green Ave. SE, Watertown, said he was there on behalf of the applicant who intends is to possibly build a garage that's more suitable for the existing house with a driveway that's less steep, and then also possibly build in the future on the other lot and have the driveway on Navarre Lane. The Council agreed with staff that the administrative lot line adjustment would be the correct approach for this possible proposal. 21. LA23-000014 — MATTHEW & SUSANNE JOHNSON, 1007 WILDHURST TRAIL, VARIANCE--RESOLUTION NO. 7364 Walsh noted Council Member Matt Johnson is the applicant and would step down from the Council table. Curtis said the applicant is proposing to create a new lot for the purpose of building a new single-family home. The undeveloped rights-of-way surrounding the properties were vacated in December of 2022. The applicants have also applied for an administrative boundary line adjustment to combine and rearrange the three PIDs resulting in two buildable lakeshore lots. The change is currently in process with Hennepin County and is not yet reflected. The existing home at 1003 Wildhurst Trail is planned to remain and the Council should treat the lot configuration as existing for this analysis, she said. The applicant is requesting an average Lakeshore setback variance or waiver on the lot to allow construction of a new home up to the 75-foot Lakeshore setback. In April the Planning Commission held a public hearing and voted to approve the requested variance.No comments from the public were received. Curtis said staff recommends approval conditioned upon the Hennepin County accepting the subdivision exception with the proposed lot line rearrangement. Walsh explained that because the lot lines would be moved the average Lakeshore setback line would move backward, creating a new lakeshore lot and the need for a variance.He added the proposal combines lots and the City has approved similar arrangements in other locations. Benson asked about the actual footprint for the proposed home. Johnson said if it was three lots the average lakeshore setback line would be lakeward of the line with two lots. He said the architect for the proposed new home has configured a preliminary plan of where the home could be placed as depicted on the exhibit shown. Benson asked if building plans had been submitted. Walsh said building plans are not typically submitted at this point. That would not happen until the applicant was ready to request a building permit. Curtis said in staff's opinion, enough information is available for staff to process this request. Page 4 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Benson said she thinks it is fair to say as a member of the Council this application will get a higher level of scrutiny. Her preference would be to see a building plan before approving this type of variance. Johnson said he should be treated as every other resident and not be penalized as a Council Member. Walsh said what Benson is proposing would penalize anybody who comes forward because it would make them spend a great deal of money on building plans before a variance,which the City has never done to anybody. He said applicants typically don't have building plans at this stage when they often don't know who is going to build the structure. He pointed out the proposal reduces density by going from three pieces of property to two. Benson asked if the City had ever asked for building plans ahead of a variance. Curtis said there have been times when a building plan was requested at this stage depending on the type of variance. Johnson said average lakeshore setback is more for preservation of the neighbors and how a proposed plan would affect them. He said the existing house is his property. Seals said the original concern of the neighbors was high density and that as many as eight new houses might be planned. She said more density is what the City does not want to encourage in that area, so there is benefit in this plan reducing the number of lots. Seals said she does remember seeing a number of these historically when the Council looked at the building envelope versus a full plan, and she would be comfortable with approving it. Seals moved,Walsh seconded,to approve LA23-000014"—Matthew& Susanne Johnson, 1007 Wildhurst Trail,Variance—Resolution NO. 7364 conditioned on Hennepin County accepting the lot line rearrangement.VOTE: Ayes 2,Nays 1 (Benson).Johnson did not vote. FINANCE DIRECTOR REPORT Finance Director Olson presented building permit revenue to date. He said a third of the way through the year the City has received one third of the budgeted building permit revenue. The first three months of the year are typically the slowest months of the year so that is a good sign,he added. Olson said several months ago the Council approved moving forward with the SIP protocol to replace the old copper lines for the phone system and he thinks that will be done in the next week. The City is also in the process of changing its domain to Oronomn.gov and has been testing that. Within the next week Council will be able to use the new email addresses. If people use the old emails,messages will be automatically forwarded to the new emails. He suggested Council members put the new email address in their signature block. Olson explained the federal government is recommending cities and counties go to the .gov domain for added security. This is a domain that the federal government maintains and confirms. It should be seamless to the end-user,he said. Page 5 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Benson asked about the bonding for the public works building that included $3 million for the fire department. Olson said in December, 2021,the City sold$16 million in capital improvement bonds with$13 million for the public works facility and $3 million for fire department facilities. That$3 million is still set aside. Benson asked in that case how will the City pay for overages on public works facility. Olson said one option would be to loan money from the utility funds,the water, sewer and stormwater funds,to the construction fund. Part of the rationale for that is the water, sewer and stormwater departments and vehicles and equipment will be housed in that building, he explained. Like all enterprise funds,they operate more as a business than a governmental fund, so it would be proper for interest to be paid back. He said what he would suggest if the City does loan money between the funds, it charges the other fund the going interest rate. 22. LONG LAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT OVERAGE This item was added to the consent agenda for approval. FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT 23. FIRE DEPARTMENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT Chief Van Eyll said the purpose of the report was to answer questions and receive input from Council on the draft fire department needs assessment as well as establish a process moving forward for final versions and decisions based off it. He went through the history of the fire department review beginning in 2021 when the City of Orono notified the City of Long Lake that it would not be extending the fire service agreement,to September of 2022 when the City Council passed a resolution of intent to establish the Orono Fire Department, and then in November, 2022 to appoint a new fire chief. He said one of his tasks was to do a needs assessment. The proposed timeline going forward, he said, is to accept written questions from community members from May 9 to 18 and put those in the Council packet for a presentation at the Council meeting May 22. Written comments would be taken again from the public from May 22 to June 7. Then at the June 12 meeting,there would be a final report and presentation and then guidance on moving forward.At the May 22 meeting, citizens would get an opportunity to write personal input to the City Council, filling out some comment cards ahead of time.The mayor would then establish a time limit for that comment period. Staff recommends about an hour.The Mayor could then use those forms to call residents up in an orderly process,Van Eyll said. The written comments and the form would be available on the website until close of business on June 7. Seals said they wanted to make sure there is enough time between when the assessment is shared and taking comments from residents and giving them several formats to comment, including a meeting and virtual formats. There would be the in-person meeting where people can come up and talk,but then there also would be two different virtual rounds that surround those meetings where the Council can take in questions. She asked how staff would sort the questions received through the web site. City Administrator Edwards said the plan would give staff time to go through comments and sort them by topic and type of questions. Page 6 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Benson asked if Van Eyll could express in general what needs to be fixed about our current system of fire service delivery. Van Ey11 said the biggest thing that really needs to be fixed is that Orono doesn't have a sustainable model for the future. Whether it's capital,whether it's our firefighters,the paid on-call model,response times, there's just kind of a list of things that need to be fixed,he said. He thinks the City is in a better position to be able to lead that change. The paid on-call model has been one of those models that is going by the wayside. Benson asked where data was collected from and how many outside individuals and municipalities were interviewed. Van Eyll said most of the data was from Long Lake Fire.He also talked to Minnetonka, Chanhassen,and Plymouth which have their own departments and Excelsior which has a combined model. Johnson said these are all good questions but what is in front of the Council now is approving the process to present information and get feedback so we can be prepared to ask questions.He urged Council members to ask their questions in advance so staff can be prepared. Benson said that is what she is trying to do. She said she would like to see more information gathered and would like to know who the Chief talked to. Edwards said staff can add an appendix to the report. Benson asked the Chief if he saw a benefit to having a public open forum and is a public forum planned? Walsh said it is not the purview of fire chief to figure out if a public forum is needed. Seals said her hope would be that would happen on May 22 when the public can come forward to ask questions. That is an open forum. She said she would also expect residents to reach out in between and ask questions directly. What they are doing that she hasn't seen in other cities, according to Seals, is giving a longer period of time for this information to sit out there and for people to give feedback. She said she is comfortable with the plan because it's giving a multiple avenues. She said she hopes the room is full May 22. Van Ey11 said he felt this process is better because it gives people a chance to get their questions out rather than hitting them with a presentation one night and making a decision from there. Benson said her preference is an open forum even if it means pushing out things a little further than that June 12 meeting. She said she thinks that would go a long way to instilling goodwill and a sense of understanding within the community as clear, consistent communication with the public is one of the key tenants of fire service and certainly changing fire service. Walsh moved, Seals seconded, to approve the Fire Department Needs Assessment Public Input Plan as presented.VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 1 (Benson). Page 7 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. In other information,Van Eyll said the ladder truck is back with new tires and is in the process of getting rewrapped. They are also working on a new Fire Department logo. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT Attorney Mattick had nothing to report. CITY ADMINISTRATOR/ENGINEER REPORT 24. APPROVAL OF WORK SESSION AGENDA DRAFT Edwards said he had only the work session draft agenda. The only change to that is for the May 22 work session to look at doing retaining wall discussion part two,which is a continuation from the previous retaining wall discussion. He recommended planning for the whole hour. Seals moved,Benson seconded,to approve the Work Session Draft Agenda as presented. VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. PUBLIC COMMENTS Jim Elder, 195 South Brown Road, said the Orono Fire Needs Assessment is a well-constructed,well- researched document,however it raises more questions than it answers. Is a word,he said,he has not heard in this discussion about the open forum. We're allowed to ask questions,but nobody has promised that they'll give us answers now. That's an unfortunate structure. The most significant core statement made by Chief Van Eyll is his hope that the negotiations between Long Lake and Orono can be resolved in such a way that Orono becomes the owner of the fire station, or a new shared agreement is reached. This is what you've all been working on and haven't made much progress.He added there are no cost estimates for this endeavor. There are large operating and capital costs here that you're not talking about. He said his rough estimate is between$10 and$15 million and the City needs to give that information before making the decision in June. He said he wants to know what's broken that the City has to do this and why it is necessary to spend all that money. There was a troubling statement in in the Needs Assessment,he said,that Orono intends to, in the next few months,transfer the control of the Navarre fire area from Long Lake to Orono.He said they are already tearing apart the Long Lake Fire Department. You're destroying that fire department so that you can get this thing done.Elder said he had asked the Mayor at a coffee if there would be an open forum and the mayor said yes, one session. He doesn't believe the City will get enough discussed in one session in this limited space with the number of people that want to hear about this. Nancy Brantingham,3185 County Rd. 6, said she has attended every meeting and work session of the Orono Council since December of 2022 and has learned a lot. One of the first things was that in 2022, Orono decided to end the contract for fire services with Long Lake. In November,2022,Long Lake held a public hearing to inform citizens about fire service issues.Mayor Walsh and Councilman Johnson were both in attendance as numerous Orono citizens stood up and expressed their hopes that Orono would do the same. On January 9, 2023 she stood before the Council and made the first of three requests for a public hearing in Orono.Many others have also done that. She said Councilman Johnson responded to her request in January by saying he didn't think it was his job to inform citizens about what was going on. Rather, citizens should come to meetings and find out for themselves.He was right about one thing. Citizens of Orono should come and see what's been happening at Orono Council meetings. She listed Page 8 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. things she has learned since December.Number one,the time for citizen comments has been cut from five minutes to three.Number two, Mayor Walsh sent an offensive video to a local business owner. Every Council meeting now ends with a deeply disturbing display of bad behavior by both parties.Number three, Councilman Richard Crosby has connections to the Proud Boys. Their leader was convicted of sedition last week for his role in soliciting and inciting violence against Congress on January 6, 2021. Number four,this Council has granted right-of-way vacations of City land to both Councilman Matt Johnson and Robert Erickson, a sitting member of the Planning Commission. Three former mayors of Orono who were concerned about these transactions have requested that the Attorney General and the State Auditor investigate.Number five,the City of Orono currently has multiple lawsuits against it and may soon face another for breach of current fire services contract with Long Lake.Number six, eight former mayors of Long Lake and Orono are opposed to Orono's current course of action regarding fire services. They have notified Orono by letter that they believe this move is an expensive way to tamper with a public safety service that is not broken.Number seven, all the towns around us are working with their neighboring cities to form fire districts.Mayor Walsh feels Orono is big enough to go it alone. Walsh called time. Henry Brantingham,3185 County Rd. 6, said he sincerely hopes fellow citizens will join in paying attention to the actions of this Council in the weeks and months ahead, especially,but not exclusively,to the actions regarding the provision of critical firefighting, and other emergency services to Orono citizens. He said he hopes the Council will reflect on what it can do to help heal now seriously strained are relationships with our friends and neighbors, especially in Long Lake, and to restore trust between Council and Orono citizens that has been broken both by actions this Council has taken and actions it has refused to take.He noted this process you just approved is not what's been requested and asked what are you afraid of? Kim Carswell,261 Cygnet Place, asked people to close their eyes for a minute and imagine it's 2025 and we're looking back at the legacy of the City Council and Orono. She asked,what will we be thinking about the fire service and how it came about in '22 and '23?What will those fire services be? She said all neighboring cities seem to be collaborating to provide the best all- around services they can,playing to the strengths of each city. They will be learning from one another,complementing one another, she said, and those cities will have the best and the most cost-effective fire services, because they're following best practices. While the communities that surround Orono continue to collaborate, according to Carswell, they will watch Orono going in the opposite direction. The cost to taxpayers will perhaps be the highest and yet the services might even be the lowest, she said. The tone of this Council will remember is that you know what you're doing and don't need citizen input. There is little interest from most of this Council in listening to the citizens, she said, adding Orono citizens would need to navigate hurdles to be able to speak while our neighboring city,Long Lake, is planning a second open house. She noted that in contrast, the story could be one of open collaborative partnerships like Loretto and Hamel coming together,or perhaps working with Long Lake,Maple Plain and St.Boni. She asked might Orono shift their position to embrace this trend for the benefit of our citizens? Brad Erickson,2485 Independence Road, asked where Mr. Crosby is tonight, noting he has attended one full meeting since November.He suggested if Mr. Crosby is having a difficult time with things,maybe he has to step down. Erickson said elected officials have a duty and a responsibility to represent and serve Page 9 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. their entire community while upholding democratic values and promoting equality and inclusivity. Engaging with hate groups goes against these very principles and is highly inappropriate and damages the public they swore to serve. He said such engagements also undermine the public trust and perpetuate discrimination and prejudice while contributing to the normalization of hateful ideas. When elected officials are found to be engaging with hate groups, according to Erickson, it is imperative for concerned citizens to hold them accountable. He noted activism can shed a light on these actions and raise awareness about the harm they cause. Other elected officials may also take steps to distance themselves from individuals found to be involved with hate groups, or engaging in hate speech.Erickson stated moving on to the chairman of the Minnesota GOP David Hann's response to Erickson's emails regarding the videos Walsh sent,he noted,Hann responded that the Minnesota Republican Party rejects any comparison between mask mandates and the Holocaust because the Holocaust was such a unique and terrible event in human history. Hann added the Republican Party of Minnesota last year at the State convention adopted a very strong statement condemning anti-Semitism and supporting the State of Israel as the ancient homeland of the Jewish people. Hann had said he does not know Mayor Walsh personally, and does not know what his political opinions are. Erickson noted Hann wrote to him that local elected officials are nonpartisan and even though the Mayor may be a Republican, he was not endorsed to be a mayoral candidate by the Republican Party,he has no official position in the party, and does not have authority to speak for the party.Your future is sealed in the party, Erickson said to Walsh, adding he may want to go with an independent party. Janie Delaney 1350 Woodhill Ave., asked why the Council won't listen to citizens. She said the Park Commission open houses were just another written comment process. What that does, she said, is stifle voices.By letting multiple people and any resident that wants to get up and speak, other residents learn from them and about the issue. She noted they learn about what you're thinking and asked how the Council expects to get people to write in comments.Are you going to use Civic send?Are they going to have to go find it on the website?Will only the people that are signed up for the emails be the ones to get the information? She contended that is not inclusive. She would suggest a full mailing like was done for the Christmas tree lighting,adding that might be a good way to notify every single resident. Jay Nygard, 1386 West Point Rd., identified himself as a long-time Orono resident and former City Council and Planning Commission member. He said he can understand the stresses that can be brought upon a family while serving on the Council. He added it is especially unfortunate that Mr. Crosby is gone because he really wanted to talk to two people tonight, although it seems like Matt Johnson probably should be included given the recent shenanigans going on around here,Nygard said.He said he can understands how stressful all this controversy is for the Mayor's family because of his actions and Mr. Crosby's actions. He suggested maybe there comes a time when family becomes more important, so he put together letters of resignation, completed on city letterhead, for Walsh for bringing controversy to the residents of Orono and for Crosby related to his Proud Boy affiliation. Mr.Nygard said perhaps it is time they consider moving on because the community has been seriously damaged and it is time to start moving forward and healing. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Benson said she appreciated hearing all the comments tonight. She said when there are direct questions asked she intends to answer them by emailing or getting ahold of people. She doesn't consider them rhetorical unless it is clear they are. She said she wanted to focus on fire tonight. The previous week she Page 10 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. attended the Future Fire Services Planning Meeting. She explained this group was formed beginning in about 2021 and the mission was to find the best path forward for fire services in this area to create a Future Fire Service Plan. This is not a public meeting, she said. It's attended by elected officials,fire chiefs,city staff, and some paid on-call firefighters from 10 or 11 surrounding communities.Meeting notes are kept but they are not official minutes. These meeting notes can be shared with the public, according to the Medina City Administrator. Benson said she has been reading the notes the last few years. Something that caught her eye in one of those first meetings was the statement that there are too many fire departments in the State of Minnesota. She said other districts were already in the process of merging back in 2021, and that trend is continuing today. Hamel and Loretto just merged to foltii the Western Suburban Fire District.According to Benson, in 2021 the Mayor of Orono decided Orono would not be participating. This is important, she said, because one of the first things that was identified as an obstacle in this group for efficient future-minded service was the participation of elected officials. She said Edwards has sometimes attended these meetings but Orono has been largely absent as a City from the table. She will continue to attend.Benson said the Chief in Hamel and Loretto recently gave a report on the 22-month process to combine this department and offered to come to the Orono City Council and share the process they went through. Benson said the Chief said the notion of giving up control is one of biggest failures with shared models. She said from her perspective it is vitally important that residents are kept up-to-date and that they have clear and complete information regarding fire service,because in the absence of light being shed in this process, it can become confusing and divisive. Seals said the devil is in the details and the citizens are owed the dollars figures.You need to see exactly what this is going to cost, she said.Nothing has been decided. She noted you've got the fire assessment and there will be a presentation in two weeks. We want to see total costs for all options and want you to see it too. She urged residents to come to the meeting and give feedback, saying she is willing to answer questions. She added it had already been shared tonight that some parts weren't clear to Councilmember Benson and herself, so they want to make sure we get a very thorough report that gets a lot of those questions answered. On another topic, she said she had been to meetings on Hackberry Park and another was scheduled the next day. The top two concerns are parking and water. She said the public does not seem to want the City to cut back on activities at the park but wants those two things fixed. Johnson said in regard to the fire discussion,providing questions in advance gives the Council and staff the best ability to answer questions.He said the public should submit questions and be part of the discussion.He added he is open to doing a mailing. Taking the amount of time planned will give people time to give feedback to make a quality decision,he said. Johnson added he has been part of this for a considerable time but has more to learn. It will be important to get a handle on what Orono needs,what Orono wants and what the City can afford. The level of coverage is not consistent right now with the size of our community and our response times and looking into the future, he said,he would like to see response times be better. He added he also wanted to extend special thanks to Chris Fischer, deputy police chief,who is retiring and will be missed. Walsh started with a quote from Barack Obama related to policing, stating 'Our police officers put their lives on the line for us every single day. They've got a tough job to do to maintain public safety and hold accountable those who break the law.' Walsh said the next Coffee with the Mayor will be at 9 am Wednesday for 30 to 40 minutes.From a funding perspective, Walsh mentioned the newly-appointed Parks Commissioner who was actually on the Parks Commission 10 years ago when there was no budget for the parks, and they didn't do anything at the parks.But like everything else,whether it's our infrastructure,or our roads, or our Police Department,we are the Council that has put together the funding for our parks to be self-sustaining and continue to do that going forward.He said this Council has Page 11 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 8,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. done a lot and depending on where we go with the Fire Department we will do the same. He said he wanted to end with a quote from John F. Kennedy on change. Kennedy said, `Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.' ADJOURNMENT Walsh moved,Johnson seconded,to adjourn the meeting at 7:35 p.m. VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. ATT T: nna Carlson, City Clerk Dennis Walsh, Mayor Page 12 of 12