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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-11-1974 Council Memo . .:.,,. . � . . . . , 5�4��i . . .' .. � . � . � ,4.,1 ��j:.�..50 '� . .. . � � . . . ' .. TO: Village Council �f��` � FROM: James Cosby, Village Administrator �s��= DATE: February 8 , 1974 SUBJECT: Agenda Items - Meeting of February 11, 1974 I have asked Skip McCombs to be present at the 6 : 30 P.M, meeting in the offices due to the fact that the Council did not have an opportunity to talk to him in detail concerning the appointment of a Village Engineer. I have reviewed with Skip the criteria in the memo that went to the Council last week concerning consulting engineers and he will be in a position to discuss those criterion details with you. Also at the 6 : 30 P.M. meeting, I would like to discuss with the Council a date that would suit each of you to meet with Eugene Hickok in the Watershed District to discuss the draft proposal that you have on the storm water plan. I had tentatively set that up for February 14 , 1974 , but one of the Councilmen has a conflict on that night and another date has been requested. We will discuss this further on Monday evening. At the work session, I will also present you a copy of the letter to be sent to the Mound School Board. I have spent some time considering the format of this letter and would like for you to see the draft before it goes out. Any additions or deletions that you may make at this time can be done. At this time, no one from the Park Commission or the Planning Commission has requested to be put on the agenda to discuss any items with the Council. 2-6. These items are for referral to the Planning Commission. For your information, Dexter Marston was in the hospital for three days this week and as such, we are a little bit behind in the data concerning the referrals to the Planning Commission. We will have all of the memos ready for you at the 6 : 30 P.M. work session on Monday. Mr. Marston' s problem is not serious. He is out of the hospital and back at work and the diagnosis was gastritis with a little nervous stomach condition. I would also add at this time , that I went to the hospital this week and visited Mary Butler, who seems to be coming along very well and it is my understanding that she will be released from the hosiptal Sunday, February 10 , 1974. 7-8. These items are the Zoning Administrator' s report and the various memos are in your packet concerning these two items. 9. Marty Walsh will be at the Council meeting to discuss the tax issues with the Council. You will have an opportunity to ask him any questions that you may have. � } n�� � ,rr � � �� ' ; ,.:� °�'"�'�,� � � � � � � �'x�t:,_ ' � ,��, .� � ��, , f- , :,t'q�y� � ' 4 . . . .. . .� . � � . � . � 4�'�a 1�7,��«Yfik � y �, j����#�z�i��� ` . � a;'J"�r k.���' .. . . . ... .. � �.--.:a Agenda Items - February 11, 1974 Page 2 10. The Kennel License for Norman Larson is before you tonight and you have a rather extensive list of items concerning his operation. I have given you the police reports from the last three years as well as the Federal inspection, which has been performed on his operation to show that he has passed the Federal requirements for the kennel license. You should pay particular attention to the names of many of the individuals on the police reports for I have received many callSfrom individuals stating that they will be at the Council meeting to request � Mr. Larson' s license not be renewed. �fter having reviewed with the Chief of Police and with the Hennepin County Sheriff ' s office and other individuals who have had contact with Mr. Larson, it seems to me that the essence of the whole problem boils down to two points. 1) Mr. Larson will not allow the general public to go through the kennel in search of a lost dog without an Orono police officer being present, and 2) there are many people who object to his practice of taking lost dogs that are not claimed and giving them to the University for medical research purposes . As the memo from the Village Attorney points out, there is no legal reguirement that can necessarily force Mr. Larson to allow the general public through his own establishment, and secondly, the right to sell dogs to the University is sanctioned under a Federal license. .a The memo from the Chief of Police points out that the calls the department has received during the past couple of years in which an Orono officer was requested to accompany a citizen through Mr. Larson' s kennels�not one of the dogs was found. After you review the file, I am sure you will come to the conclusion that there is no question but that Mr. Larson ! is being, to some extent, harassed by certain individuals who are y basically unhappy with him. I would urge that the Council request of � Mr. Larson that he should at least consider it a good public policy to � allow an individual who has a lost dog the right to go through the kennel �' andlook for it. It would certainly be a good public relations gesture on his part and it would definitely save some time and effort of our own Police D,epartment if it did not have to go up there to accompany the citizen to look for a dog. Having said all of this, the staff still feels that there is no justification for denying Mr. Larson renewal of his license. 11. Again the Council has before it consideration for the selection of a Village Engineer and a Village Attorney. You have in your packets the petition which is being presented to each of you signed by 82 individials stating they feel the Village Attorneyshould not be selected from among current residences of the Village of Orono. 12 . You have in your packet a letter from Metropolitan Sewer Board concerning the interceptor sewer line that is due to start in 1974. The question that the letter is addressing itself to is sewer in the Browns Bay area. I have contacted Bernie Mittelsteadt of Orr-Schelen-Mayeron, in regard to this letter and we are trying to get some additional information and I hope to have it to you on Monday. I am primarily trying to clarify the intent of this letter. The question is , is the Metropolitan Sewer Board saying that Orono may be required to put in our sewer lines in the Aqenda Items - February 11, 1974 Page 3 Browns Bay area to correspond with the incoming Metropolitan interceptor line, or, are they just saying they want the Village to inform them whether the line is going to go in now or possibly sometime in the future. The second issue that arises concerns Minnetonka Beach. If sewer goes into Minnetonka Beach and hooks into the Orono system, then that line should be defined as an interceptor. There is some argument on this with some members on the sewer board and I am trying to iron those definitions out at this time. The Council should bear in mind that under the State law they have six months after a public hearing on a public improvement project to order the project in. If it is not ordered in within the six month per.iod of time , the Council would have to hold public hearings again should it ever consider the same public improvement. This means then that the last day �t}t the Council could order in a project from the 1973-1 proposal would be May 8 , 1974. 13. In your packet is a statement from the County asking the Village of Orono to set the date of June 3, 1974 for the Tax Board of Review. If there are no objections from any members of the Council, I will so notify the County that this date is acceptable. �{� , 14 . You have in your packets a letter from the Chief of Police concerning the use of funds for the Police Reserves. During the budget work sessions last year, the issue of outfitting the mounted patrol came up and at the time the Council felt that we would only spend Village funds to provide them with the badge and an identification card. This we have already done. While the Chief' s letter is asking that a radio be purchased to give the mounted patrol contact back with the Village, +,� the issue of outfitting them in clothing is also coming back again. Now � it is true that the Village of Orono in 1973 received more money than it had anticipated in the Minnesota State Aid to Police Departments. It now also appears that we have underestimated the amount of the State Aid that we would receive in 1974 . I think that it is quite possible that the $500 request could paid out of the Minnesota State Aid to Police Departments. On the other hand, we also have available to us some Federal Revenue Sharing Funds and it would be my recommendation at this time that if the Council agrees to spend $500 for a citizens band radio, that it come out of the Federal Revenue Sharing Funds. The reason for this is that it is my feeling when the Village is faced with unbudgeted and unanticipated capital outlay items , that it is better to use Federal Revenue Sharing Funds for it as opposed to the anticipating of additional revenue from a State Aid sour.ce. We do not know at this time what other,,�•a�rr emergency or unforseen expense may arise in which we may need the State Aid Funds to be applied. There is a�so the fact that the Federal government is literally forcing us to spend the Federal Revenue Sharing Funds within certain time limits and I would certainly perfer to see the Council consider the use of Federal Revenue Sharing Funds for the unbudgeted capital outlay items. ,E •, •. , fl�, �s. r Agenda Items - February 11, 1974 Page 4 15 . In your packet you have a letter from the State of Minnesota announcing a hearing on February 18, 1974 to discuss State and Local coordination problems. I think the Council might want to consider letting the State know you are not at all happy with some of the proposed legislation to give the State the authority to do zoning or planning in local areas. Another area that the Council may wish to address iteslf is the tax limitation imposed on us by the State and the effect it has on local governments ability to provide services and a high quality of service. I th ' nk that the Council should give this matter some consideration '�*the various issues and proposals that you may wish to have presented at this public hearing and go on record as having so stated. If you wish me to attend the hearing and give the testimony, I would be most happy to or if one of your selves would wish to do it, I would be most happy to go with you and be of whatever assistance I can. 16 . You also have in your packet a letter from the League of Minnesota Municipalities concerning February 28 , 1974 , in which they have their annual legislative action conference. This is a good time to get to meet and talk with the legislatures and discuss various items of legislation that are important to us. If you will let me know how many of you would like to attend, I will put reservations in for you.