4.28 City Council Meeting Recap

Monday’s Orono City Council meeting was notably shorter—by more than four hours—than the marathon session on April 14, with only one issue prompting extended discussion. A Lake Minnetonka property owner had built retaining walls that differed from the design approved in their original conditional use permit (CUP), leading to a request for an after-the-fact CUP amendment.

With Mayor Bob Tunheim currently out of the country, Acting Mayor Benson—who served on the council when the original permit was approved—cast the lone dissenting vote against tabling the amendment. She shared organized and thoughtful comments that are expected to inform future discussions.

The council also voted to move forward with reducing the number of paid-on-call firefighters in the Orono Fire Department, a step toward merging Orono and Long Lake fire services into a unified department.

A heartfelt thank you to all the firefighters who have continued to serve and step up during this challenging transition.

If you have questions or want to learn more, the City of Orono and City of Long Lake will host a Joint Fire Forum on Wednesday, May 8, at 7 PM at Trinity Lutheran Church. >>> https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BxnjTATbL/

Watch the Meeting >>> https://oronomn.new.swagit.com/videos/341201

Join me for coffee at the Orono Market on May 3, 8 and 10 from 7:30 am - 9 pm or feel free to contact me here >>> https://www.votebrucefororono.com/contact