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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-25-2023 City Council Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 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 Maria Veach.Absent: Richard Crosby III.Representing Staff were City Administrator/Engineer Adam Edwards,Finance Director Ron Olson, Community Development Director Laura Oakden, City Planner Melanie Curtis, City Planner Natalie Nye and Park Director Josh Lemons. 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 SEPTEMBER 11,2023 2. COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 11,2023 3. CLAIMS/BILLS 4. APPROVAL OF RENTAL LICENSE 5. APPROVAL TO HIRE FULL TIME ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT—JOSEPH RUTHENBERG 6. APPROVAL TO PROMOTE PUBLIC WORKS MAINTENANCE WORKER—JUSTIN MIELKE 7. APPROVAL TO HIRE FULL TIME PUBLIC WORKS MAINTENANCE WORKER— HUNTER GILLE 8. APPROVAL TO HIRE FULL TIME PUBLIC WORKS MAINTENANCE WORKER— SCOTT LORETZ 9. APPROVAL TO ACCEPT DONATION—PERMANENT COATING SOLUTIONS— RESOLUTION NO.7395 10. APPROVAL OF NEXT WORK SESSION AGENDA 11. LA23-000042,ALISON HOUSTON,4731 NORTH SHORE DRIVE,VARIANCE— RESOLUTION NO.7404 This item was removed from the consent agenda. Johnson moved,Veach seconded,to approve the Consent Agenda with Item 11 removed.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. PRESENTATION Page 1 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. 12. HOPE CHEST FOR BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION Maureen Scallen Failor,Executive Director of the Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Foundation,gave a presentation to the City Council. She said she was the new director,having just passed six months.Prior to this position she worked with Chambers of Commerce for 15 years and she said she has a deep respect for City Council service. She came to put a face with the name and share about what is taking place over at the Foundation. She added she hoped they were all familiar with the retail store on Shoreline Drive. Hope Chest was funded under premise that no one should have to go through breast cancer alone.Funds are raised to help patients with basic necessities like gas and groceries,mortgage,car payments or rent. She said the Foundation's grant recipients aren't as lucky as she was when diagnosed with stage three lung cancer in 2001. She had great health insurance through her employer and time off from work. She explained the majority of their patients don't have that as 78 percent are primary income earners; 73 percent have household incomes of less than$50,000;and 42 percent have incomes of less than$25,000. They have an average of four dependents.Hope Chest Foundation has been around since 2001, she said. Its founder,Barbara Hensley,felt very compelled to do something after losing two sisters to breast cancer in the 1990s when treatments were not what they are today. The first retail store was in the basement of Wayzata Community Church. Since its inception Hope Chest has made$2.5 million in patient grants and 5,700 individuals have received grants. Unfortunately,breast cancer is here to stay,she said,and the need is urgent and now. They feel very strongly about the importance of fundraising and the work done at retail store.Many organizations are seeking funding for a variety of needs and they can't rest on their laurels, she said. Community outreach is important.They are seeing higher rates of cancer in women under 40 and it is important to promote mammograms.Early detection is the key. Of the patients served,73 percent are from the metro area and the rest from outstate. She noted October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and they have a number of events coming up. 13. MEDIACOM UPDATE Therese Sunde,Director of Government Relations for Mediacom,told the Council she was with Mediacom when they negotiated the franchise agreement when Orono decided to leave Lake Minnetonka Cable Commission and go on own.The agreement is up for renewal at the end of the year and can be amended or the City can do a five-year extension.The agreement is on cable TV only although Mediacom does have broadband. Orono does not have a local access channel through Mediacom,she said. Zach Raskovich, Director of Operations, said he came to this market in 2015 right after the agreement with Orono was made. He said investments in infrastructure have never stopped with continuous building out of fiber and coax for longer extensions into more remote areas.Maintenance really kicked off with COVID,he said, as people went to work at home and they had to deeply invest to meet the need. The City is a five percent partner,he said.Mediacom knows that the number of video customers is declining. It is a national trend,he said,as people turn to other ways to get TV service.Many cities are asking about how that impacts their budget.He said the interne side of business is his focus. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REPORT 11. LA23-000042,ALISON HOUSTON,4731 NORTH SHORE DRIVE,VARIANCE— RESOLUTION NO.7404 Page 2 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. City Planner Nye explained this is a variance for a bluff setback that the Council reviewed at its last meeting and approved with the stipulation that the build does not encroach any further into bluff. The applicant came back with a redesign of the project to meet that direction,she said. Benson said she asked to have it removed from the consent agenda because she voted against it last time because she was in agreement with staff to deny the application. Veach moved,Johnson seconded,to adopt LA22-000042,4731 North Shore Drive,Variance— Resolution No.7404.VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 1(Benson). 14. LA23-000026,ESKUCHE DESIGN O/B/O DAN MARTINSON& HEIDI MARTINSON, 2605 NORTH SHORE DR,VARIANCES City Planner Curtis said the application is for a house addition within the 75-foot lake setback,a new in- ground swimming pool,new retaining walls,a stone fence/wall, stairs,walkways,as well as a number of hardcover changes to the site within the 75-foot setback. Since the planning commission's review,the applicant has made changes and submitted amended plans. Specifically,the addition to the home has been removed,the pool has been relocated to be behind the 75-foot setback from the lake but is still approximately 30-feet from the inlet, and some of the proposed hardcover improvements have been adjusted. The applicant is no longer proposing to enclose the area under the deck which would have been an enlargement of the building footprint.The planning commission requested clarification regarding the hardcover levels specifically within the 75-foot setback. The pool is set back 30 feet from the inlet and approximately 29 feet from the wetland where 75-foot(lake& inlet)and 25-foot(wetland)setbacks are required. The pool location has been adjusted within the existing driveway hardcover;however,the pool is a new accessory structure and is considered an expansion within the 75-foot setback. The pool patio is set back 19 feet from the inlet and 15 feet from the wetland where a 75-foot setback and/or 25-foot wetland setback are required. The"existing"boulder retaining walls on the lakeside of the home appear to have been recently installed in the place of the one-foot-tall timber border. The wall replacement approval may have been included in one of the previously approved variances for the property,however,there is no record of a permit for the new boulder walls. The approximately two-foot-tall boulder walls were replaced in a different location slightly further from the lake than the timber border. The boulder walls are an expansion of the existing condition in footprint, location, and height. The existing lake access stair is being replaced by a new stair 38 feet from the lake(this is a permitted improvement). The proposed driveway configuration has reverted back to the existing condition with a looped design. The walkway to the pool area has also been modified; and new hardcover expansions are proposed within the 75-foot setback including walkways,pool,and pool patio where no hardcover is permitted. On August 21,the Planning Commission held a public hearing. Following the public hearing,the Planning Commission voted 5—0 on a motion for denial as applied. The Commission provided specific feedback regarding the location of the pool. The Commission felt that it was important that the pool meet the 75-foot setback from the main open water of Lake Minnetonka,which resulted in the amended plans.No comments from the public were received on this application. Planning Staff recommends denial because it would be an accessory structure within the 75-foot setback. Peter Eskuche of Eskuche Design said the design takes the driveway area and converts it to a pool and adds an accessory garage to move the cars from the lake.The entire house is in the 75-foot setback so it is a difficult area to add any recreation,he said. The pool is proposed in an area that is already hard-cover. Planning Commission seemed to approve the pool if pushing it back to 75 feet from the lake.He said the retaining walls are needed but the applicant is willing to remove the six-foot tall stone wall. Page 3 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Johnson asked about hard cover being removed. Eskuche said a generator and air conditioner units are proposed to be moved to the right side of the house and that hardcover space used for a patio. He said when the applicants submitted for a variance three years ago all the walls toward the lake were timber with plastic underneath. That was all removed. The main thing is conversion of driveway to pool reducing hardcover by about 3.6 percent. Johnson noted there are a lot of moving parts to this proposal. There is a need to address walls that were put in without permits. Curtis explained the walls were allowed by the variance but did not have a permit and needs an after-the- fact permit. That is a staff action. Walsh said he has no problem converting hardcover but the pool would be the addition of a structure. Johnson said he thought the applicant did a better job of locating the pool where there is existing hardcover and removing other hardcover. When it comes to removal of air conditioners,he said he would support exchange of hardcover but not an addition.He would not have supported the six-foot wall,he said. Benson said she agreed with the staffs recommendation to deny the application based on a lack of practical difficulty. Johnson moved,Veach seconded,to draft an approval resolution in part for LA23-000026,2605 North Shore Drive,variances,to include the location of the pool,the removal of all the hardcover proposed to be removed and the moving of the air conditioner units,and denial of the six foot stone wall and any additional retaining walls and that the applicant provide an updated plan conforming to the approval.VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 1 (Benson). 15. LA22-000064,LEBRISIA IVERSEN,4448 NORTH SHORE DRIVE,VARIANCE— RESOLUTION NO.7403 City Planner Nye said the City Council first reviewed this application at the July 10,2023 City Council meeting. The Council reviewed a two-story addition with a rooftop terrace above the second story. The proposal also included a new deck on the lakeside of the home.The Council was not supportive of the project as applied and provided feedback to the applicant.The Council identified the difficulty of the small lot and working with a nonconforming building,however,the height of the addition was not supported due to the amount of massing. The Council did not support the new lake deck and stair as they were not in favor of any new expansion lakeward. The Council discussed some support of a one-story addition in the same footprint as the existing deck on the north side of the home. The initial application was not supported by staff and received a split recommendation from the Planning Commission with a vote of 2 to 3 to approve as applied. The applicant has chosen to amend their application by removing the proposed deck on the lake side of the home and reducing the height of the addition. The revised plans show a one-story addition with a similar footprint to that of the existing deck in that location. The addition has been reduced in height and size. However,the revised addition has a decreased side yard setback from the previous iteration. The applicant has provided a revised letter from that impacted Page 4 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. neighbor indicating support of the revised plans.The proposed addition is four feet from the side property line matching the existing setback of the current deck.The previous plan had a proposed setback of 8.2 feet from the side property line. The revised plans decrease the overall height of the addition and have pulled the massing away from the lake. The revised plans have also further reduced hardcover by 86 square feet. The amended plans require variances from the average lakeshore setback,75-foot setback, hardcover,hardcover within the 75-foot setback and side yard setback,however the overall impact of the addition from the lake has improved. Staff is supportive of the revised proposal due to the reduction in massing with the proposed one-story addition and the revised footprint of the addition as it is consistent with the existing deck and has overall less impact to the lake than the original proposal. Staff recommends approval of the amended plans because they have removed the lakeside deck and maintained the hardcover footprint and there are practical difficulties with the size of the lot. Andrew Iverson,the applicant,thanked Council members for doing a site visit and said they had tried to work within the recommendations and pulled back from some of the big dreams they had.The proposed addition covers the existing deck which is 50 years old. Johnson said he was concerned about the increase of structure in the setback. Walsh stated there was practical difficulty because of the size of the lot. It would not be possible to allow the height originally proposed,he added. Veach moved,Johnson seconded,to adopt LA22-000064,4448 North Shore Drive,Variances, Resolution No.7403.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. City Planner Oakden said coming to the end of summer the City is busy with permits and getting projects done.They are working on six proposals and legal notices and have been doing trainings in the department. RECESS& RECONVENE Mayor Walsh recessed the meeting at 7:20 p.m. The meeting was reconvened at 7:25 p.m. FINANCE DIRECTOR REPORT 16. REDUCE DEBT LEVY REQUIREMENT SERIES 2014A—RESOLUTION NO. 7405 Finance Director Olson said this action is a precursor to adopting the tax levy.According to law,the City has to budget 105 percent of requirements for debt levy.At the end of a debt fund's life there is always money left over and the City can transfer the overage to the facilities fund levy. Benson said she understands the City typically waits until a debt is retired before moving any overages. This debt fund,she said, still has four or five years before it is paid off and she questions taking money from a fund where there is still debt to support the Fire Department. It would seem, she said,that the Fire Department cannot be funded without making these kinds of financial moves that have not been normal practice for the City. This transfer would not be necessary if not for standing up that department. She said she did not feel it is fiscally responsible to take money from a debt that still needs to be paid. Page 5 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Walsh said it is fiscally responsible to budget for equipment replacement on a regular basis and this has been done for police and public works.He said it is responsible when the City has money available in funds where it will not be used to budget for these purposes. Olson said the City still has the funds to pay what it owes on the 2014 bond and would be reducing the levy for it one time because of already having the funds. Walsh moved,Johnson seconded,to adopt Resolution No. 7405 for the Reduce Debt Levy Requirement Series 2014A. VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 1(Benson) 17. ADOPT 2024 PRELIMINARY TAX LEVY—RESOLUTION NO. 7406 Walsh explained that these are maximum amounts being adopted tonight. The City will adopt the final levy in December but cannot go higher than the amount set in September. Finance Director Olson added public comment would be received at the Truth in Taxation hearing on Nov. 27 and the final levy would be adopted at the Dec. 11,2023 meeting.He took the Council through the proposed general fund revenue and expenditure budget/levy line by line in a Power Point.The overall increase is proposed at 4.94 percent.The preliminary levy proposed this evening is$9,415,100,he said, and compared to 2023 it is an increase of$1,028,100 or 12.3 percent. Benson said the total for Orono Fire is $1.4 million which is 15 percent of the total tax levy for 2024. She said portions of some other funds are also related to the Orono Fire Department.If the costs for the Fire Department were not in the budget,taxes would be reduced on each home, she said. Walsh said that is a good point.The City could also reduce the amount for roads or public works and taxes would go down,he said. The purchases for the Fire Department need to be made whether for a new Orono Fire Department or the Long Lake Fire Department because this has not been done,he said. Benson said she agrees that fire has been underfunded in the past but feels that could have been rectified without starting a new department. Johnson moved,Veach seconded,to adopt Resolution 7406 for the 2024 Preliminary Tax Levy. VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 1(Benson) 18. ADOPT 2024 PRELIMINARY GENERAL FUND BUDGET—RESOLUTION NO. 7407 Benson said again,this action to adopt the preliminary general fund budget includes the Orono Fire Department which is a costly venture directly impacting the general fund budget for 2024 including using a one-time public services grant. She explained how she arrived at the total for$1.4 million in the budget for the Fire Department. Walsh said the decision was made to allocate the grant to the Fire Department because the other departments are now properly funded and fire is where there is a need. Veach said she felt it was very important to bring up the real costs and the cost per household and be honest about it. She said the State of Minnesota ranks near the bottom of spending for Fire Departments. Page 6 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. It is a department that has needed attention for a long time,but she thought it could have come about in a more smooth way. Walsh moved,Johnson seconded,to adopt Resolution 7407 for the 2024 Preliminary General Fund Budget.VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 1 (Benson). 19. ADOPT 2024 LONG LAKE FIRE OPERATING BUDGET Finance Director Olson said the City had received a fire budget from Long Lake with a significant increase due to the use of duty crews. They are using a different model for duty crews than is planned in Orono,but it does result in an increase. Orono's share of the 2024 budget as proposed is$665,097,an increase of$121,097(22 percent)over the 2023 budget. Veach reported on the Fire Advisory Board meeting she had attended. She said Long Lake is using duty crews on certain days and it is enabling them to get a lot done around the fire hall when they are not on calls. It would cost about$85,000 to staff duty crews 80 percent of the time, according to the Long Lake Chief. There was discussion about the possibility of reducing costs by using the services of Orono Chief Van Eyll for some items like training,duty crew time and administration since he would already be paid by Orono. She said Long Lake is piloting the duty crew concept and the percentage of shifts covered by duty crews. Johnson said the two cities could still continue to explore ways to reduce the costs of the Long Lake Fire operating budget including having Van Eyll perform some tasks.Both said the meeting was positive and informative. Walsh said he would be in favor of tabling the 2024 Long Lake Fire Budget at this time so that more of these questions can be worked out. He noted that the Long Lake Chief has not appeared before the Orono Council. Benson said since the Long Lake Fire Department has been underfunded and will continue to serve Orono residents through the end of the contract she was comfortable with adopting the budget. Veach said there was agreement that more time will need to be put into the financial separation between the two departments, for example,for things like budgeting for the station. She said if the City tables this budget now it needs to be clear on what the open questions are. Johnson said it is important to continue to work through these questions before adopting the budget. Walsh said he thought Veach should recuse herself from voting on the budget since it includes officer pay and her husband is a fire fighter. That would only leave three votes at this meeting on this action item. The possibility of separating personnel costs from the rest of the budget and voting on two motions separately was briefly discussed. Benson said she was comfortable with the budget but can support tabling if others have more questions. Johnson moved,Walsh seconded,to table a decision on the 2024 Long Lake Fire Department budget.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. Page 7 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. PARKS REPORT 20. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AN APPLICATION FOR A HENNEPIN COUNTY SPORTS FACILITY GRANT FOR HACKBERRY PARK—RESOLUTION NO. 7402 Park Director Lemons asked the City Council to approve by resolution an application for a Hennepin County sports facility grant for Hackberry Park.He said the maximum amount of the grant would be requested for parking,a t-ball field,multi-use sports field and drainage. The maximum amount would be $300,000 and require a 50 percent match.The total cost is estimated at$1.1 million.The City has a scope of the project but is still meeting with residents and the sports associations,he said.The plan is still developing at this point,but they know the scope of the project is those four items. Within the grant changes could still be made to configuration as long as those needs were covered. The application is due in mid-October. Benson said she had some comments after reading City and Parks notes since 2016 when the City purchased the house in the middle of the park.Youth sports groups have been engaged informally for years and needs for drainage and parking are known. What she didn't see in those notes until recently was larger engagement of the community and surrounding neighbors. That began recently. She has not seen any savings in parks funds in seven years for these projects.It has not been budgeted for. The cost to the City and partnerships if the City received the grant would be over$800,000. There are many unknowns here,not the least of which is finances and there are still many concerns. She said she has concerns about applying for a grant when the City doesn't have reserve funding for the City and partnership portions of the costs. She noted grants are a lot of work and there is only three weeks to apply. Items like drainage and trees could be addressed in the meantime. Walsh said this is a first step to move forward and have funds allocated.He said it is necessary to have something to move forward. In the past there has not been money budgeted for parks,he said,but that has changed under this Council. When the City would have access to the house in the park to remove it was also an unknown that prevented money from being set aside because it could have been years down the road. Veach moved,Johnson seconded,to adopt Resolution No. 7402 authorizing an application for a Hennepin County Sports Facility Grant for Hackberry Park.VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 1 (Benson). 21. APPROVAL OF PICKLEBALL CONCEPT SERVICES Park Director Lemons said he was seeking approval for hiring Bolton and Menk to develop a concept for pickleball courts behind Fire Station One near the donation garden. The plan includes a timeline with an open house on the various concept designs with approval in February of next year. He said they were looking at something similar to what was proposed at the golf course with four to six pickleball courts. Veach asked what had happened to the idea of pickleball at the golf course. Lemons said an overwhelming majority of neighbors and golfers were opposed to adding pickleball to the golf course. It has been about two years since the City was first approached by residents about having pickleball courts in the community.After the golf course the Park Commission looked at two sites, Bederwood and the donation garden.Bederwood had a number of drawbacks including the need to move the playground. Page 8 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Veach said she was aware there were persons in the audience interested in this item and she asked to hear from them. Sandy Rasmsssen, 1186 Wildhurst Trail, said she is very involved in pickleball and is an alternate to the Park Commission. She said the unique thing about pickleball is that it is a drop-in sport.Players show up and rotate in and can be pretty much assured if you have courts, someone will be there and you can play. It has become an incredibly strong pickleball community and many of us are driving long distances to play outdoors, she said. The group is looking for bare bones,no lights or amenities,just courts and fencing. She said the new proposal is a great site and will bring more attention to community garden. There are few houses nearby but at Bederwood there would be more houses closer. They liked the idea of shared facilities at the park but the noise can be a deterrent, she said. The community is looking for an outdoor place to play without having to drive 20 miles and in her opinion this site is the second best next to the golf course. She added pickleball is played by a wide range of ages,not just older adults. It is a multi-generation sport. Michael Miller, 1987 Fagerness Point, said the proximity to fire station and City hall to the proposed site could offer the ability to have informal employee leagues. It could be a wellness program. Janie Delaney, 1315 Woodhill Avenue, said she is in favor of the donation garden area as a pickleball site but said the donation garden has been there since 2011 and she wants people to understand the volunteers use organic no-till farming methods so it's not possible to just come in with a bobcat to move the garden. They have amended and added to the soil to keep microorganisms in. She is concerned about the displacement to the garden if there are four to six courts put in. She wanted the Council to consider what it means to significantly relocate the garden. She asked if they could you consider fewer courts there and putting others someplace else. She also said the City hasn't looked enough at the other suggestions like working with the schools. She said maybe just draw it out on a napkin and see what everyone is thinking before spending money on a feasibility study. She cancelled an order for compost for the garden when she saw this item on the agenda and is concerned that they won't be gardening next summer. It doesn't impact just the volunteers but also local food shelves, churches and other charities that receive food donations, she said. It's an important community outreach.Twice a week they have about 12 volunteers parking there and others are there almost every day.Last year the garden donated 2.5 tons of food and the need at the food shelves has almost doubled in the last few years,she said. Johnson said she raised good questions because the donation garden has a cycle and they need to know how it will be affected.He said he was glad she brought this up so that everyone understands what it would mean to move the garden. Walsh said he is a big supporter of the donation garden and pledged to work with them. Benson said she did not know that the donation garden serves that many people and organizations,so she was glad to know that. She said she was aware of interest in pickleball in the community for several years and supports community recreation but said the City has paid for concept plans for a couple of projects in recent years that have not come to fruition. There are real dollars being spent by the City of Orono in a lot of areas and the levy is increasing this year.A dollar is a dollar. passing To her contracting for a concept plan is an indication that the City is ready to fund this initiative and she doesn't see the money is there to fund pickleball as much as many in the community wants it. She said she supports the playing of pickleball but also has questions about partnering with the school or other sites that would not impact the Page 9 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. current budget.Benson said she is struggling with the number of projects the Council has said yes to in terms of concept plans for projects that they have not been able to bring forward. There ate no costs known or planned donations and the project could also mean an impact on an existing activity in the donation garden. Walsh said the City is not struggling to fund its cash flow. Without doing these kinds of concept plans it can't go forward and know costs and find funds,he said. Johnson pointed out the Parks Department has already put a lot of thought into this and recommendations have not been made on the fly. GordyStoffer, 190 Orchard Road and a member of the Parks Commission,said a d he appreciate the work and passion that has gone into this.It has gone on for a number of years and this is the best site they have found,he said.He said he hopes they can find a way to work with the donation garden and find a win- win. It's a good site,he added,flat and maybe a fraction of the cost of the plan at the golf course. Johnson moved,Veach seconded,to approve hiring Bolton and Menk to do a Pickleball Concept Plan.VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 1 (Benson). Lemons said the Parks Department is doing fall projects,pulling in docks,and getting the golf course ready for winter.Recent rain has helped. It is crunch time to get everything ready before the snow flies, he said. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT City Attorney Mattick was not present due to a personal emergency. CITY ADMINISTRATOR/ENGINEER REPORT 22. CITY CLERK RECRUITING AND TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT City Administrator Edwards said the City Clerk,Anna Carlson,has tendered her resignation and will be done October 12. She has accepted a position as a City Administrator at a neighboring City.He said she would be missed. He would like to appoint City Management Assistant Nola Dickhausen as acting clerk and initiate a recruitment process to fill the position. Johnson moved,Benson seconded,to accept the resignation of Anna Carlson,and approve the appointment of Nola Dickhausen as interim City clerk and authorize the initiation of a recruitment process.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. On the engineering side,he reported the Fox Street project has been completed.The Navarre parking lot is paved and striped. The shared project on Townline Road has a base coat of asphalt. ThefForce main project on Tonkawa is halfway done. There was a no cost change order on that project that he approved. COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS 23. HR/ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE UPDATE Page 10 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Benson said the committee talked about changes in sick leave passed by the State effective January 1, 2024;the job description and scope of the park superintendent;custodial services starting with a seasonal position and looking to move into a full-time position, and changes to management and hours of the IT Department.More management and support is needed for IT. 24. LONG LAKE FIRE ADVISORY BOARD Veach said she had given that update earlier in the meeting. There are no more scheduled meetings this year although it was discussed that everyone is open to additional meetings. PUBLIC COMMENTS Kelly Prchal,4705 Watertown Road, shares concerns about debt consolidation and the fiscal responsibility of starting a new Fire Department. She said there is no need to spend money on a new department. The City can continue to partner with Long Lake for consistent fire services for less money and have money for other things.Even at a significantly higher cost,response times cannot be improved undera new department over today's response time, she said,and that concerns public safety. Since the Council is planning to serve all of the sprawling City from the old public works building, she does not see how that can improve response times. She asked for more visibility,adding other cities are joining forces. Orono is branching out on our own.Her concern is that Orono will not be a viable collaborative partner to other communities because of all the unrest on this issue.Residents need to be assured there will be viable fire service in 2025. She said the issues needs more public input and she hopes the City is headed into mediation the next day in good faith. Krista Berbig, 80 Valley View Road,Long Lake,said she finds this all disingenuous. On August 14, Crosby said there was discussion of hourly wages for fire fighters and it was discovered salaries were falling below average. She pointed to records from Fire Committee meetings stating that Crosby had changed his statements on the amount of hourly wages paid to Fire Department.At one point in Committee,he supported an amount in the neighborhood of$13.50 per hour and expressed frustration at proposals to raise fire fighter's salaries since he didn't make that much in his ten years on the department and said that fire fighters don't do this job for the money and such a large increase would look suspect.At the August 14 City Council,meeting he claimed to have pushed for a$15.65 per hour wage,according to Berbig,but nowhere in the discussion at the committee level did he propose$15.65 per hour. Kelly Grady,271 Greenhill Lane, Long Lake, said the City at the last meeting approved$2.6 million for fire trucks. The current budget is$550,000 for fire services and Orono is already over budget for this year. Not one person at the last Council meeting championed development of a new Fire Department. It is getting more expensive and it will be impossible to have certified fire fighters trained and ready to respond by July. Long Lake fire fighters do not want to be split up,she said.The response from Orono seemed to be 'move on, get over it,the decision has been made'. This is not true. The next day the City was to participate in court-ordered mediation with the City of Long Lake. She said she was here to ask that as Orono goes into mediation it considers the wishes of the Long Lake Fire Department Relief Association. Grady read an excerpt from a June letter from the Relief Association stating their only request is to keep the Fire Department whole,preserve a successful department and combine resources and efforts. When cities work together citizens receive better,faster and more cost-effective services and Page 11 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. that is industry best practice,the letter continued. She asked the Council to build upon the 108-year foundation of exemplary fire service go into mediation with open minds and consider the wishes of the volunteer fire fighters. She contended based on what Council members said tonight they cannot possibility be going into mediation in good faith. Through it all,she said,the Long Lake fire fighters have continued to serve the community and she asked the community to support the Long Lake Fire Department open house on October 9. Brad Erickson,Corcoran, said he thinks Mr. Crosby ought to be fired.Two meetings ago he at the very least compared Erickson to a Nazi.He asked when will someone speak out because this is becoming the official message of this City that it is okay to peddle in this stuff.He added Walsh started it, saying he doesn't know why anyone would bring this up and state it from the Orono City Council table.Erickson said he had asked for them to sit down to discuss this,adding Crosby should apologize and be censured. Council Members are dug in on this Nazi stuff,he said. Crosby was out in Washington DC on a first amendment binge but somehow when he comes up to exercise his first amendment rights they have a problem with it.He asked when is he going to get an apology and are certain Council Members so radicalized they think this should be part of civic discourse. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Benson said she does not make a habit of responding to public comments in her report but wanted to say she appreciates the comments made tonight. She denounces hate in any form and speaks for decorum in City Council meetings and does her best to abide by this. She attended the Wayzata Fire Department pancake breakfast and said it was wonderful to see communities coming together for positive reasons. Benson wished City Clerk Anna Carlson well and congratulated her on her new position. Veach also thanked Anna Carlson and said she has been great to work with since her days as an election judge. She wished her well in her new position. Veach said she was at the Fire Advisory Board meeting and can state that within 24 hours of that meeting,Crosby did reach out after putting in more thought about what he had said. She also mentioned the Fire Department open house on October 9. In her mind, there never was anything saying that Fire Department can't stay together, she said. Johnson said he also wanted to congratulate Anna Carlson as she is very capable.With respect to the mediation the next day,he said he was going in good faith and with an open mind.He said he holds out hope that there is a path forward for both cities with a path of keeping the fire fighters together. If progress is being made it could be a multi-day mediation. He is concerned about needing an alternate if it goes for multiple days. Benson said she was not aware that the City was disclosing who was representing the City in mediation and that the City Attorney had advised them not to. Johnson said it has been open that he was attending mediation. Johnson moved,Walsh seconded,that the Council appoint Veach as an alternate for mediation in the event one of the two representatives could not make it. Vote: Ayes 4,Nayes 0. Page 12 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING September 25,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Johnson said he did not know where the idea comes from that the City cannot provide adequate service with a new department. This is not true,he said. The whole idea is to improve services that are consistent with the expectations of the residents,but it is more expensive. Walsh said Orono has a track record of funding services correctly and providing great service.He said he was looking forward to mediation the next day and is hopeful.He reported the Orono High School Football team was 3 and 0 after defeating Delano. Walsh thanked Anna Carlson and wished her well, saying Rockford would be in good hands because she is detailed,smart,and gets things done.He ended with a quote from Bud Grant. ADJOURNMENT Walsh moved Johnson seconded to adjourn the meeting. VOTE: Ayes 4, Nays 0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m. ATTEST: airiet nna Carlson, City Clerk Dennis Walsh, Mayor • • Page 13 of 13