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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-26-2023 City Council Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 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,Richard Crosby III,and Maria Veach. Representing Staff were City Attorney Soren Mattick,City Administrator/Engineer Adam Edwards, Finance Director Ron Olson,Fire Chief James Van Ey1l and Parks Superintendent Josh Lemons. Mayor Walsh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.,followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. SWEARING IN CEREMONY 1. Mayor Walsh administered the Oath of Office to Maria Veach who was appointed to the City Council to fill out the term of Victoria Seals. Veach was immediately seated. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was approved by consensus CONSENT AGENDA 2. CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF JUNE 12,2023 3. COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES OF JUNE 12,2023 4. CLAIMS/BILLS 5. 2023 OFFICIAL MEETING CALENDAR UPDATE This item was removed from the consent agenda. Crosby moved,Johnson seconded,to approve the Consent Agenda with Item 5 removed.VOTE: Ayes 5,Nays 0. 5. 2023 OFFICIAL MEETING CALENDAR UPDATE Benson asked to have this item pulled from the consent agenda. She asked about the apparent intention to do away with Park Commission work sessions. Park Supervisor Lemons said there has often been little to put on a work session agenda. The proposal is to cancel them as regular work sessions and schedule them as needed.There would be more emphasis on staff working with the commissioners and committee members on issues,he said,and then they would be brought to the regular City Council meetings. Benson moved,Crosby seconded,to approve Item 5,2023 Official Meeting Calendar as presented. VOTE: Ayes 5,Nays 0. PRESENTATION 6. COMMISSIONER LATONDRESSE ANNUAL UPDATE Page 1 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Hennepin County Commissioner Chris LaTondresse presented his annual report to the City Council with a slide presentation.He is the County Commissioner representing District 6 which includes Orono.He said the County has seen a doubling of family homelessness which is defined as a parent and child with no place to sleep at night. This crisis has surged with the sunset of the federal eviction moratorium this past summer and the end of emergency rental assistance dollars that Hennepin County administered on behalf of the federal government. One in three Hennepin County families are housing cost burden,which means they pay more than a third of their income on their rent or their mortgage,he added.Hennepin County stewards over$106 million annually across a whole continuum of resident housing needs from homeless shelters to affordable homeownership. Some of the County's innovations have included converting hotels into single room occupancies and an eco-village which is the first indoor tiny home village anywhere in the country. The Commissioner also discussed public safety which he said is a priority of his.He said a workforce shortage is affecting all departments with increased pressures to serve residents with mental and behavioral health challenges. It's critical that these public servants have the resources and support that they need to do their jobs with fidelity and excellence,he said.Hennepin County has approved the sheriffs office request for 31 new full-time deputies and is working to fill those positions. The County has also implemented an embedded social worker program that includes local law enforcement agencies including Orono. He said the County is also making great strides in specifically addressing the mental health needs of students. According to the CDC,more than four in 10 Students feel persistently sad or hopeless, and one in three experience poor mental health.Through Hennepin County school-based mental health partnerships,the County is now providing services to over 6,000 students annually as of this year and has expanded these services in this partnership to every eligible school district countywide. The County has also invested in small businesses,he said,including about a quarter million dollars in Orono.He also highlighted a list of public works projects in the area. Johnson asked about funding for the embedded social worker program. LaTondresse said it is a partnership with a 60/40 cost split.The social workers are Hennepin County employees which is important for privacy and hand-off of information.It is not an alternative response to social workers are not being sent out without a law enforcement response. The service is mostly of a follow-up nature rather than a joint operation. Benson asked about demand for the program. The Commissioner said demand is increasing.Hennepin County has been able to rely on Medicaid reimbursement based on caseload and he said he continues to lobby in Washington DC for more funding for all parties for this service. FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT 7. UPDATE ON DEVELOPING SPEC AND OBTAINING QUOTES FOR RESCUE PUMPER,BRUSH/MEDICAL RESPONSE UTILITY AND TENDER/TANKER FINANCE REPORT Page 2 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Fire Chief Van Eyll said the purpose of this action item is to inform Council on staffs plans for procurement of fire equipment necessary to provide services to the Navarre service area. In the needs assessment accepted June 12, staff recommended that the City of Orono have a rescue pumper, brush/medical response utility, and tender/tanker at each fire station.At the June 12 meeting, Council directed the new department to be ready to provide service to the Navarre area in July of 2024 and the rest of the City by the end of the contract,he said. For the rescue pumper, step one would be to try and coordinate access to Engine 21 with Long Lake. The engine was purchased solely by the City of Orono in 2000 to serve the Navarre area. Once a replacement is procured, it can be used as a backup pumper. Step two would be to solicit proposals for a new or slightly used rescue pumper. The lead time for new apparatuses has been ranging from 24 to 36 months with costs between$500,000 and one million dollars. The City will also solicit new proposals for the brush medical response utility as based on the vehicle use, Staff does not recommend a used vehicle for this role.For the tanker tenders,step one would be to coordinate a buyout of one of the two existing tankers from Long Lake that Orono currently owns with Medina and Long Lake.If that is unsuccessful,the next step would be to solicit proposals for a new or slightly used tender truck or tanker truck. The funding for these would be coming from the fire equipment fund,he said,with a possibility of purchasing some pieces in a five-year payment plan. Van Eyll recommended that staff engage the City of Long Lake staff for the purchase of one of the two tenders as well as the disposition for Engine 21. Once received,quotes would be brought to the City Council. Benson questioned whether,given the lawsuit situation with Long Lake,trying to negotiate equipment buy-outs with Long Lake was a viable option. Van Eyll said it was something to pursue. Benson asked about the ability to repair a truck that is not in service. Van Eyll said he was not familiar with any fire vehicle being down but would look into it. FINANCE DIRECTOR REPORT Finance Director Olson updated the City Council on technology saying that Security and Sound would be working at City Hall the next morning and some of the system will be in place by the next meeting including a TV monitor that will allow the Council to see what is being recorded.Because of backorders, the full system in the Council chambers will not be complete until late September,he said. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT Attorney Mattick said his only update would come in the closed session at the end of the meeting. PARKS DEPARMENT REPORT Park Supervisor Lemons reported Parks is staying busy. They just finished cutting down the rest of the trees at Hackberry Park after the demo of the house on the property.He and Edwards will be meeting with the Park Commission subcommittee for Hackberry on Wednesday to discuss the master plan for the park. The Golf Course is busy and today was the first food truck event.Depending on how these go,they plan to have a food truck every other week. He acknowledged the parks and golf course Page 3 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. CITY ADMINISTRATOR/ENGINEER REPORT S. NEXT WORK SESSION DRAFT AGENDA City Administrator Edwards said he had recommended to cancel the next work session but the Cannabis discussion was cut short today so he would change his recommendation to having a work session on July 10 before the regular Council meeting. Johnson moved,Crosby seconded,to add the cannabis discussion to the July 10,2023 work session agenda.VOTE: Ayes 5,Nays 0 Edwards also said the new public works building is progressing on schedule. They have had the pre- construction conference for parking lot work at the Navarre parking lot in mid-July and the golf course in September. The project of lining old clay sewer pipes will begin soon and this year they will be finishing up all of the older main sewer pipes on Casco Point. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Walsh opening public comments with the change that Orono residents would be called on to speak first. Kathy Sweetman,475 Deborah Drive,said she was speaking again that evening to protest what she has seen in terms of the process and the conduct that takes place at City Council meetings citing a few examples of abuse of power. She stated that at the February 1,2023 meeting she saw the Mayor engage in an uninterrupted 15-minute rant berating another Council Member. Pleas for a fulsome discussion to consider all aspects of fire services have been ignored,she said,adding that the meeting of May 22,2023 was not adequate. Other member matters have been similarly dismissed. She said two weeks ago it was argued that the Mayor was elected;let him do his job.She said she agrees the Mayor was elected but disagrees that he's doing his job. She claimed the Mayor gaslights,manipulates with counter-narratives, denies facts, and discredits and silences people who don't agree. She thanked the firefighters and their families for having sacrificed so much to keep the community safe. She called on the angry individuals who are present week after week to recognize that yelling obscene language and engaging in personal attacks will not solve their problems and garner empathy from fellow citizens. She asked the citizens of Orono to pay attention to what is happening in the City,adding that democracy is not a spectator sport and there is an election next year. Kim Carswell,261 Cygnet Place, said her comments were in response to the June 12,2023 Council meeting. By suppressing Councilmember discussion,the Orono City Council is not following best practices for fair and impartial decision-making, she said. It is important for Orono citizens to hear all the Council Member's viewpoints,she continued, so shutting down Alisa Benson's discussion at the last meeting was an insult to the Orono majority that elected her in 2022. She noted Carswell said Benson represents the most recent voters choice and those voters deserve to hear her point of view. She said meetings are being run like there is an autocracy and quoted from the Minnesota Mayor's Handbook which reads in part that presiding officers should not dominate discussion,and that in most cities the mayor has the same rights as other council members but since the mayor is also the presider at the meeting,mayors may choose to limit their comments or save their comments until all other members have Page 4 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. had a chance to voice their views. The Handbook continues,presiding officers should also allow participants to speak and present their views.Mayors should not use their authority to silence political opponents or suppress views with which the mayor does not agree. Carswell said if the Mayor is not going to have decorum, it is up to the rest of the Council to step in and show the citizens they care about conducting a respectful meeting. She said the Council is following legal procedures but is not following the best practices for a healthy,respected,and vibrant Council.Benson won the most votes in the last election so that is her base of support, she said,and watching her being suppressed by the current Mayor and other Council Members is not sustainable or a winning strategy for Orono,its citizens,or the Council. She pointed out 2024 is an election year and three Council Members' terms will be up. She called on residents to select collaborative and respectful citizens when they enter the voting booth. Penny Saiki,2874 Casco Point Road, asked about the number of lawsuits the City is facing and the cost of defending these lawsuits. She said there's got to be some liability here with the Council. When they take the Oath of Office they are still a person, she said, and when they step on the Council they are still a person.Acting for the citizens does not take away liability for their actions, she said,adding she hopes they realize when the new Fire Department takes over and if things don't go as planned and something happens, sitting on the Council doesn't take away their liability and their responsibilities as persons. Kelly Grady,271 Greenhill Lane,Long Lake, said she is a fire wife and she intends to continue to address the Council during the problem-solving the two cities are engaged in over fire service. She said she was disappointed at the last Council meeting to learn that the Long Lake firefighters submitted a letter to the Council and were not allowed to read it in front of the public. She read an excerpt from the letter which stated that the action of the Orono City Council to annex Station 2 and its call area goes directly against the recommendation of the Long Lake Volunteer Firefighter's Relief Association to both cities to keep the fire department whole.According to the letter, it does not benefit the community to dismantle an operationally-successful fire department,and in turn to support superfluous departments with uncertain futures. She said she plans to pose the same questions to the City Councils of both Orono and Long Lake. What steps are being taken to keep this crew together as per their request?What is being done to ensure those that want to continue to serve can do so in a similar capacity?What is being done to allow each firefighter to maintain their years of service and the benefits that they have earned in service to the community?Will the Councils ensure that their pensions are made whole?And will their training and certifications be maintained? She would just like the fire fighters to be heard because the situation is starting to be referred to as an ugly divorce and it is affecting the fire crew in negative ways while they continue to serve heroically. Brad Erickson,2485 Independence Road, said he first wanted to apologize for his part in the mayhem at the last meeting but figured that the Council being such defenders of the Constitution they would be more about the First Amendment than they have proven to be. He said he spoke with the City Attorney after the last meeting and learned there is no requirement to live in this City to speak in the City. He said he has millions of dollars in investment in this City and pays hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in taxes.He referred to the Mayor as Denny the Divider and said he was dividing the community during the pandemic, during George Floyd, during the election cycles, with Long Lake,and now is trying to divide up Long Lake.He said he had no idea the video the Mayor sent him in 2020 would lead to the Capitol steps on January 6.He said he plans to file a lawsuit against the City that would be number seven this year. He Page 5 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. added he had offered the Council a way to settle the matter and warned that this is what he would do and he is not going away.He said the Council should have taken Ms.Benson's advice to use League of Cities mediation. Chelsea Wetrick,Independence,said she would also like to apologize for her involvement in the mayhem at the last meeting but had she not been interrupted,there would not have been so much mayhem. She asked why Mayor Walsh tells people to stay offline when he himself participates online. She added he is very bold online but in person is just a weak little man.He won't answer questions or use mediation,she said.If the Council doesn't like everything that's going on with the craziness of the meetings,they should man up and deal with it, she said,adding it's not about them but they make it about themselves. Helen Landgraver,2570 Thoroughbred Lane, said she has attended the last several meetings,especially regarding the fire issue. The Council does not respond to public comment during the meetings,which she said she completely understands,but she would like an answer to the request that many have made over the last several meetings for a clearly articulated reason why the Orono Fire Department must exist. She estimated her taxes will be going up at least 20 percent in the next year. She again asked for some clearly- articulated reason why this is required,noting there is a very intelligent voter base in Orono and logic appeals. She requested a clearer understanding of what it is that requires the City to set up a separate fire department actually comparing apples to apples,response time to response time. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Veach,the new Council member, introduced herself as a longtime resident and an Orono graduate. She said her husband and kids became proud Orono community members and she has been very active in the community for a long time. She grew up in Long Lake and so has deep roots in the community in general. She apologized for the unfortunate timing of being out of town on vacation for the last meeting and said she hopes that she is approachable, and the public can reach out to her as needed. Benson noted her report was going to take about 10 minutes. She said last week was her first time attending the annual League of Minnesota Cities conference. With over 700 elected officials and city staff from across the State gathered to hear from experts in a variety of fields, she said, some common themes emerged.One was the importance of listening in the role of elected officials.Listening,they were told, isn't enough.It's essential to collaborate openly with the people served and create a shared vision for the community.She said serious discord has become a common fixture in City Council meetings and flows into the community and causes harm to residents, staff,and to the relationships with neighboring cities.A lack of trust lies at the center of this upset,according to Benson.When residents do not trust the actions of their elected officials the foundation of communal goodwill is eroded. Serving in the role of Council member requires a willingness to speak openly about issues that impact residents,even when doing so may not be viewed favorably by one's colleagues. She said she created several documents to demonstrate why the Council continues to grapple with issues of trust. She noted in discussing issues it is important to agree on basic facts. She said her documents are based in fact with everything pulled from verifiable City records. They are not opinions,they are data,she said. Since the Mayor did not allow them to be shown on the screen at the previous meeting,hard copies will be available at the end of the meeting and copies have been provided to Edwards for the public record. Page 6 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Benson said the first document relates to fire services and is a simple timeline that covers the last five years of events related to the formation of an Orono Fire Department. The timeline highlights the lack of effort to inform and collaborate with citizens from the beginning of the process including the publication date of every City newsletter and utility bill insert from the last few years.One brief mention of the Orono Fire Department was a few words in the January February newsletter from this year that came after many consequential decisions,including ending the contract with Long Lake,purchasing equipment, and hiring a fire chief had been made. She asked how elected officials can expect the community to trust their decisions when they are not invited to the table at the outset.Engagement came at the very end of the process and involved one public hearing and the invitation to write comments to the City,she said, but the Council has not discussed the comment cards. They were not tabulated and the public was given no opportunity to see results in an accessible format. The second document she created is a spreadsheet that organizes data from the comment cards. The data collected through the City's own process does not support the direction that the City is taking. She noted that the Council's action has resulted in new legal action being taken against the City of Orono during the past week. She said the City is heading in a new direction that is unfavorable with residents,will cost more,goes against nationwide trends,and may result in costly litigation.Her final document details the progression of committee work on the Council over the course of time. She pointed out that committees are a place where staff and members of Council meet to discuss City business. They are not subject to the Open Meeting Law because a quorum of Council is not present. She said this is the second year that budget discussions have been taken into committee which means two members of Council are able to influence and shape budget direction outside of public meetings and without the input of other Council Members. In addition, committee assignments have been moved from the month of January to December which means that newly-elected members of Council are not part of the process.Assignments are discussed and set before newly-seated members have an opportunity to weigh in. Committee assignments are also moved to the consent agenda and can be passed in one vote. She said the number of committees has increased over time and now includes the newly- formed legal committee with the stated purpose for two members of Council to meet with the City Attorney privately apart from Council to discuss legal strategy.Her final point was that the Mayor sits on every committee related to fire services, code review,budget, communications,parks,and legal. She said residents have the right to hold elected officials to the same high standard expected of others whom they entrust with their most valued assets. She said each candidate who interviewed for the open Council seat put significant time and effort put into the process and she enjoyed meeting each of the candidates and learning about how they would contribute to the City. Johnson said the information presented was inconsistent with the facts as he knows them. Committees don't make decisions, committees make recommendations,he said. Those recommendations come to the Council to get voted on and whatever transparency someone's afraid is missing from those can be brought up in the item itself He said he would not want people to be misled to think that things on the Consent Agenda aren't reviewed.It's the responsibility of every City Council member prior to the meeting to review consent agenda items.He said Council does read them,research,talk with staff,perhaps review the Planning Commission meeting and if they can't get their questions answered prior to the meeting, they can pull items off the consent agenda. He said he would be in in favor of removing the Mayor from some of the committees because he does have a full plate. Page 7 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Johnson moved that Councilmember Veach be assigned to the Fire Negotiations Committee and the Fire Advisory Committee,reasoning that some want to see more communication with Long Lake and additional conversation. Johnson said he would like to continue to work forward because no matter if they become separate departments or find a way to maintain the relationship,the two cities have a lot to discuss. Crosby seconded the motion. Benson asked for discussion,saying that the item wasn't on the agenda and motions should not be made during Mayor and Council reports as that is not an ideal way to do City business. She also noted that she is on none of the fire committees,and she feels in the interest of balance she should be,and that she is not in favor of assigning Councilmember Veach to the Fire Negotiations and the Fire Advisory Committees due to the potential or the optics of conflict with being a fire wife during the negotiations. She said it would be very much appreciated to have a balance there with these two Committees and allow another member of Council who currently serves on none of these to serve on one related to fire. Veach said with her history she feels she could bring a unique perspective to the fire issues but added if she is appointed to new committees she would like to be removed from others. Johnson moved,Crosby seconded,to add Maria Veach to the Fire Advisory and Fire Negotiations Committees.VOTE: Ayes 4, Nays 1 (Benson) The Council agreed that action on removing Veach from any other Committee could take place at the next Council meeting. Crosby thanked the woman who thanked the Fire Department for its service.He said he believes there is a misunderstanding of what a brush pumper rescue vehicle does. It's a rescue truck that can also take care of brush fires,but its primary purpose is medicals.He said he thinks it's important to have somebody on the Committee with more intimate fire knowledge.He said it is important for residents to have decorum in the audience and have respect for each other.It's not an easy job doing this and being attacked personally. He said lawsuits are nothing new and the Council can't base its response on a lawsuit.The fire issue has been going on for years,he said,and the non-responsive side has been the City of Long Lake,not Orono. The City gave them very good alternatives,very good options,and they declined,he said. He agreed that communications from the City to the residents needs to improve. He said the Council has always engaged people, if they have questions or comments,if they handle themselves in a polite manner,without cursing. The City hired a great fire chief to run this department,he said,but still wants to have open negotiations with the City of Long Lake.He noted he worked for the Fire Department for 10 years and does not want to erase its history.He pointed out Orono did not attack Long Lake when it left the Police contract. Walsh said facts are a funny thing and can be twisted to propaganda and that's what has been done here. He said there were 100 comment cards which is a fraction of the residents,yet the claim is made that 60 percent of Orono doesn't want the City to create its own Fire Department.He said some residents have told him they were afraid to put in a comment card because others might target them.He said that there Page 8 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. have been a lot of half-truths,innuendo and no truths.For example,when it came to a fire chief,he said, the City did not take James Van Eyll. It accepted applications and had great candidates. Van Eyll had a leg up because he has all the information and the Council had a lot of respect for him,Walsh said,and even he said he know the future of fire goes through Orono. He said the City did not take the ladder truck. It was only after Orono decided to buy it that Long Lake decided to re-create history and say they had wanted it,according to Walsh.He said Minnetonka Beach did not leave the Mound Fire Department because of service but because of costs because they could get service for half the price. Walsh also disputed the idea that Orono is taking Long Lake firefighters or their pension money.Any of them are welcome to apply and the City just wanted to give them an opportunity, if they do join Orono,to keep their pensions whole,he said. The one member of the Long Lake City Council who has attempted to keep the lines of communication open with Orono has been called a traitor,he said. Orono provides police service and public works for a number of cities and backs up other cities for other functions like water and sewer,he said. He also questioned why Long Lake had to hire a public relations company,asking if they were trying to put lipstick on a pig.He contended Long Lake has not been forthcoming with its residents on several topics. 9. CLOSED SESSION Walsh moved,Veach seconded,to enter into closed session as permitted by the attorney-client privilege(section 13D.05,subdivision 3 (b))to discuss litigation strategy regarding the City of Long Lake vs. City of Orono.VOTE: Ayes 5,Nays 0. (After a five-minute recess,the City Council was in closed session from 7:47 p.m. to 8:09 p.m.) Walsh moved,Crosby seconded,to reopen the Orono City Council meeting at 8:09 p.m. VOTE: Ayes 5,Nays 0. The City Council continued to discuss the three documents that had been prepared by Councilmember Benson and distributed toward the end of the meeting. Johnson asked if the handouts that were given by Benson had been part of the packet. Benson said they were not because it was not an agenda item. Johnson questioned if it is permissible for Council Members to hand out materials to the Council and be placed on chairs for the public to pick up. Attorney Mattick said there is nothing to prohibit Council Members from handing out materials. Johnson asked if such materials could have a disclaimer stating they were the opinion of one Council Member because he felt there were many inaccuracies. Edwards said something could be added that it was distributed by Councilmember Benson. Benson said she would have liked to have made her presentation an agenda item but doesn't have that power and was not permitted to show the documents at an earlier meeting. Page 9 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Veach said she would like to see the matter discussed and asked if it were to be added as an agenda item would the staff vet the information. Edwards said if a Council Member wants an item added to the agenda the advice from staff is that you do it at the beginning of the meeting or request it at a future meeting during Mayor and Council Reports as was done this evening. • Benson explained one Council Member cannot direct staff to do anything, it has to be done by the majority of the Council. Edwards pointed out that at the beginning of the meeting,the Council sets the agenda and that would be the time to have a motion and a second to add an item. Walsh said the number one problem is this is propaganda,and he won't add something to the agenda that is propaganda. It is inappropriate to ask that one's own opinion become an agenda item or to take 10 minutes during the Council Reports. Benson said if the Council wants to discuss the materials as an agenda item or direct staff to vet them, she would support that. Crosby said his concern was the lack of transparency of having the handouts in the gallery without the rest of the Council's knowledge.He said to have one person go through the comment cards is like having one person count the votes,noting it is a small sampling of a large population.It is violating the oath of office trying to undermine the Council as a whole. The point is,he said,he didn't see it. The people out there saw it and he was furnished with it. He said if he decided to put something he believed in on every chair without discussing it with the Council,he would be undermining the whole Council and the staff and it would not be good. Edwards said he would take some of the responsibility for getting overwhelmed with work this afternoon and for the work session and not making sure a copy was placed at every Council member's place at the table. Walsh said he would not sully the Council meeting with an agenda with people putting up their own opinions. Veach said she would love to know the options for process going forward, and she also believes in open meetings as trust is built and trust is earned. She asked about the options if one doesn't feel they are being heard to get something on the agenda. Edwards said it could be a consensus or a vote of the Council to get something on the agenda. The other way would be at the beginning of the meeting during the approval of the agenda.Usually, it is something that other people know about or know is needed,he said,and it takes a second and a vote. Walsh said the Council needs to direct staff to put together information,not a Council member.If at least three think it's a worthy topic,they can ask staff to vet it and bring it back to a work session.That is different than one Council Member bringing their own information to the table and saying staff vet that, he said. Page 10 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Veach said the value of having staff prepare materials is that the Council comes with an open mind to a meeting. When Council Members do too much research before a meeting,she said,they can come with their own bias. Staff work comes at a cost,but it is valuable,she said. Edwards pointed out the City did not do a survey but rather invited public comment and the written cards was one form of comment.If the goal at the beginning was to do some kind of quantitative analysis it should have been done differently,he said. Walsh said the sample was too small to be meaningful. Johnson said the Fire Committee should get together with staff to look at what information is important to get out of there and how to direct staff. Veach said she thought it would be good for the Committee to do that and consider the questions that had been asked by Kelly Grady at the meeting. Johnson also said with respect,Benson's report was misleading because it made it look like Benson was not on any committees and she is on committees. If Council members can put their own opinion out,there needs to be a distinction made between a City document and something that is the sole opinion of one person that has not been vetted,he said.For purposes of transparency,he would like it to be clear it is not an official document. Johnson moved,Crosby seconded,to direct staff to prepare language that would be added to any written document handed out by an individual and that such documents also be provided to the Council.VOTE:Ayes:5,Nays 0. ADJOURNMENT Walsh moved, Crosby seconded, to adjourn the meeting at 8:31 p.m.VOTE: Ayes 5, Nays 0. ATTEST: Anna Carlson, City Clerk Dennis Walsh,Mayor Page 11 of 11