Chief Van Eyll blocks Citizens on Social Media
Please see the official Orono City Council remarks with the count here: https://youtu.be/Ri4eozm-jL8?si=4QZks2lmt0MFnVVa This information has been available to all for quite some time.
A Quote for Mayor Walsh
How can a couple of council members and Mayor Walsh think spending millions to create an entirely new fire department makes any sense? Where is their responsibility to the Orono taxpayers who would have to fund this?
Orono Mayor Walsh Appears to Flip Flop on Citizen Input
Back in 2015, then council member Denny Walsh stated “the public expects that they have input and it there is an agenda item this may be the only time that they have a chance to say anything they want about it”.
Now that he is mayor, he can do anything he wants even going against his own ideas about the importance of allowing the public to speak.
Breaking News: Majority of Citizens do not want a Separate Orono Fire Department
Breaking News: Majority of Citizens do not want an Orono Fire Department
During the 3/11/24 Orono City Council meeting, Orono Council member Alisa Benson presented a tabulation of the citizen comment cards. Calculations show that 26% were for the fire department, 60% were against the fire department and 11% had more questions regarding fire service.
Citizens speak out against Orono Fire - top concerns are safety, response times, training, temp fire garage as fire house?
On March 11, 2024, Orono Citizen, Kelly P. addressed the Orono City Council about her concerns related to the future of fire service for the City of Orono. She specifically spoke about concerns regarding the July 1, 2024 change in service for the Navarre area requested by the City of Orono.
For over 20 years the Long Lake Fire Department has effectively served Navarre, but In just 16 weeks the untested and unestablished, Orono Fire Department will respond to emergency calls the area.
Why isn't Mayor Walsh following his own guidelines for Citizen input?
When Denny Walsh first ran for mayor, he campaigned on allowing citizens the ability to publicly comment on any agenda item at a meeting. He went as far as publishing this on the top of the council agenda, "The public is invited to address the council regarding any item on the regular agenda. If your topic is not on the agenda, you may speak during the Public Comments section.”
Is a lean-to garage really safe as a Fire Station in Navarre?
Orono is setting up its new fire department on a hope and a prayer
At Monday night’s meeting, Orono City Council will be discussing whether they are able to start their own controversial fire department slated for the Navarre service area this July 1st.
The hope is that they can park their equipment in a yet-to-be-built garage next to the Navarre water tower.
What has Orono become at the hands of Mayor Walsh's imagination?
During the 2/12/24 City Council meeting, Mayor Walsh spoke of “imagining” all sorts of spending opportunities for Orono. Before he was mayor, he had a different tune. In 2011, he is on record saying “his goals are that the City lives within what they have and that they need to start saying no to different expenditures unless the residents are convinced we absolutely need it”.
Is Mayor Walsh's Orono now the metro's Wild West?
What has happened since Mayor Walsh has taken office? Has Orono become the Wild West?
Public Land Sold and/or Given away without Citizen Input
Public Access Property on Lake Minnetonka has been sold and given away to city officials and/or friends of the Mayor or special residents chosen by the Mayor.
Large Expenditures without Citizen Input….
Are Big Donors getting Tax Write-offs for developing Citizen owned Land?
Are Orono Parks FOR SALE to big donors?
After the City of Orono held a public meeting without recording it nor broadcasting it, now we look at the agenda packet for the next City Council meeting and what do we see? Entire projects getting shoved through without public hearings including a large open air Pickleball complex in the Long Lake Holbrook neighborhood.
Orono Citizens are Being Billed Multi Millions for Water and Sewer
Lately the Mayor has been under pressure to answer the following questions:
Why are you billing the Citizens so much more than needed for their water and sewer?
Are you hoping to fund the Duplicate Fire Department with the extra millions these funds are now accumulating?
Is it fair for the city’s utility customers to be funding a startup fire department?
Have you been intentionally avoiding going public with your funding ideas for Orono Fire? Have you held public hearings for all these issues and their actual budgets? No, it appears that you have not, and you continue to suppress Citizens' voices about this enormous spending.
2nd in our Series: Mayor Walsh Misstatements?
Second in our Series about misstatements in the Orono Happenings Newsletter
Why is Mayor Walsh writing mistruths?
Walsh said Finance Director Ron Olson “retired.” That is not what Mr. Olson said in his resignation letter. Mr. Olson stated that he took another job due to “the stress of the
current political climate within Orono.”
Why would Walsh cover this up?
Why would Mayor Walsh Make up a Quote for Rep. Andrew Myers?
With numerous lawsuits pending and many misstatements in his own Orono Happenings Newsletter, perhaps Mayor Walsh needs a fact checker to correct his mistruths.
Citizens Speak Out at 1/8/24 Orono City Council Meeting
Krista goes on to make another great point - why belittle the LLFD, and then hire their Chief and several of their Firefighters? This form of double talk to the Citizens of Orono is insulting given the vast expense that Orono taxpayers will be footing for this unnecessary fire department - millions of dollars yet to be finalized and explained in a public manner
Breaking News: Hackberry Grant to Eliminate T-Ball Fields is Denied
Breaking News
The 6th wealthiest city in Minnesota (Orono according to Forbes) was denied Hennepin County funding for the Hackberry Park project that meant losing two T-Ball Fields.
This is great news for baseball and T-ball enthusiasts because those two Hackberry fields are the only dedicated T-Ball fields in all of Orono. Mayor Walsh wanted them gone in lieu of another softball field, and multi use field we don't need or want.
Heal our Community by making Your Voices Heard!
Please don’t assume these expensive proposals such as spending millions for another fire service can't be undone. Now that Orono Mayor Walsh has finally publicly written in the city newsletter about his go-it-alone approach to start up a fire department, the Orono citizens can speak up. Citizens can finally see how the economics and risk to public safety of this proposal doesn’t add up.
Will Orono Lose the Donation Garden?
Another park is slated for change in Orono. This time it is The Donation Garden, started in 2011 and located behind the Long Lake Fire Department. City officials are looking at ways to put in a parking lot and recreation courts that can only be used in the warmer months. We are looking to the upcoming open house for a plan that leaves The Donation Garden intact without moving or disrupting its important mission.