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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO CITY COUNCII,MEETING <br /> Monday,January 23,2017 <br /> 7:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> ROLL CALL <br /> The Orono City Council met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: Mayor <br /> Dennis Walsh, Council Members Richard Crosby,II, Aaron Printup, and Victoria Seals. Representing <br /> Staff were City Administrator Jessica Loftus,Finance Director Ron Olson, Community Development <br /> Director Jeremy Barnhart,Public Works Director/City Engineer Adam Edwards,City Attorney Soren <br /> Mattick,and Recorder Jackie Young. <br /> Mayor Walsh called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. <br /> APPROVAL OF AGENDA <br /> *1. CONSENT AGENDA <br /> Item Nos. 4 and 8 were added to the Consent Agenda. Item No. 13,Appointment of City Prosecutor <br /> under City Administrator's Report,was added. <br /> Seals moved, Crosby seconded,to approve the Consent Agenda as amended,with the addition of <br /> Item No. 13,Appointment of City Prosecutor under City Administrator's Report. VOTE: Ayes 4, <br /> Nays 0. <br /> PUBLIC COMMENTS <br /> Greg Coward, 1950 Heritage Drive, stated he is here tonight because he read in the local newspaper that <br /> the Planning Commission meetings will now be taped. Coward stated in his view videotaping the <br /> Planning Commission meetings is a wonderful idea and that he was struck that one of the Planning <br /> Commissioners was against that idea. <br /> Coward stated he has attended a number of Planning Commission meetings, and at one of those meetings <br /> when the Tufta development was being discussed,he asked the Planning Commission why there had been <br /> no comment at all about neighborhood preservation. At that point Commissioner Kevin Landgraver <br /> asked if that particular property was in the Fox Hills Association. When he was told no,he said,well, <br /> then it is not in the neighborhood. Another commissioner said that all the houses across the street would <br /> be torn down anyway. Coward stated that indicated a feeling that it was not important to talk about <br /> neighborhood preservation. <br /> Coward stated the real reason for some of the Commissioners not wanting the Planning Commission <br /> meetings to be videotaped is that they would be on record for that type of comment. <br /> Coward noted the paper also mentioned that there was a comment about the expense of the videotaping <br /> and that Council Member Printup recognized the fact that there was minimal expense. Coward stated <br /> there was also a comment about seeing how many people view the Planning Commission meetings. <br /> Coward stated in his view that is not the best criteria for determining whether the meetings should be <br /> videotaped but that it is more to keep the Planning Commission itself on track and have them accountable <br /> for what they do and what they say. Coward stated as a citizen, it would have been very helpful to have <br /> been able to go back to the videotape and watch certain portions. <br /> Page 1 of 15 <br />