By Katie Friedman
Correspondent
At a workshop and special meeting of the Maple Lake City Council Tuesday, April 6, Mayor Todd Borell addressed controversies and misinformation surrounding last month’s implementation of a revised open burning ordinance.
Referring to a Facebook notice by Councilmember John Haack that called for a protest, Borell said, “The three-year-old anonymous written complaint was not the only reason the ordinance was passed. There were numerous complaints, and I want to point that out. There is a reason this has been discussed since 2007.”
Borell went on to say, “As far as the open burning, there is no open burning in the spring. There never has been in the City of Maple Lake. So, anybody that’s burning now, and it’s not a recreational fire, is in violation, without the new ordinance being in place.”
When Haack suggested that the Council is ignoring public dissent, Borell said the matter had already been voted upon and settled, adding that the only way to change the outcome would be to either persuade fellow Council members to vote differently, or to have the citizenry vote them out in the next election. City Attorney Dave Anderson clarified that while certain items might call for a voter referendum, the five Council members, as elected representatives, are the City’s policymakers, and that among those five, the majority vote prevails.
Councilmember Brian Fondurulia, who had voted with Haack against the new ordinance, said that if residents were truly upset by the measure they would have shown up at the meeting, and as no one had, it was time to let the issue go.
The City will offer pickup of bagged leaves every week in the fall, and every other week in the spring, with a schedule to be posted once details are in place. Residents are also welcome to dump leaves, either loose or bagged, at the City’s compost site on Co. Rd 37. Only compostable bags will be accepted. Burning of leaves on private property will be permitted October 15-November 15, with the city and the fire chief reserving their right, in the event of unsafe conditions, to temporarily discontinue burning during that period.
Other topics discussed at the workshop included rental property and sidewalk ordinance, the handling of city staff accrued sick time at retirement, and the management of nuisance properties.
The Council’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, April 20, at 7 p.m.