Agenda Packets - 1999/08/23 - Laserfiche WebLink

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indicated they had finally resolved the matter.. He stated that almost twenty years prior, Holman Field in St. Paul, and the military,had attempted to move the helicopter base to the area. He stated they all united and worked very hard with the National Guard and others who went to Washington, and gained permanent resolution to that issue. He stated he thought they were all glad that this change did not take place. He stated that 12 to 15 years prior, they were faced with the same issue they are currently addressing,which was the issue of noise and flight patterns. He stated, after years of negotiations, they were successful in moving the runway a mile north, and this appeared to alleviate the problem at that time. He stated the issue is back, due to a variety of reasons, which include the consolidation of metropolitan agencies. He explained that the Metropolitan Airport Commission is no longer totally independent, and the Metropolitan Council has also been intervening to some degree. He added that the review of the Metropolitan plans,which take place automatically every ten years, has brought some of these issues back. Senator Novak stated he believed they had a lot of good people that were negotiating in good faith. He complimented the Mayor,the Council and the staff for their hard work on this issue. He stated he has been working hard on it,and hoping they come to a resolution that is satisfactory to everyone. He stated they did have legislation introduced,which was passed through the committees, and had attempted to negotiate directly with the Metropolitan Airport Commission regarding the issue. He stated it has been frustrating at times,however,they are staying with it, and he hopes they will come to an agreement that will satisfy everyone involved. Mayor Coughlin expressed his thanks to Senator Novak for handling himself with calm and grace, in the midst of the relatively tense discussion. He stated the issues involved are very passionate on all sides. He stated he was very impressed and proud to have the opportunity to sit next to the Senator in the Committee meeting, and testify to his bill. He stated he had also had the opportunity to discuss the issue privately in the Senator's office, and attempt to negotiate a compromise to prevent the expenditure of millions of taxpayer dollars to continue to fight this year after year. He reiterated his thanks and appreciation to Senator Novak for his efforts, adding it was a valiant effort on his part, and that he hoped, during the next session, they could come to an equitable resolution Senator Novak stated he appreciated those comments,noting that these were complicated issues,and life was not as simple in the Legislature as some people might think. He stated everyone has a point of view on everything these days, and an open forum in which to explain and describe it. He stated working through all of that is not always simple,however,he thought they have a lot of the facts and history on their side, and was hoping that in the end, they will find a way to resolve the issue in a manner acceptable to the public. Council Member Stigney expressed his personal thanks and appreciation to Senator Novak for the efforts he had made on their behalf with the airport issue, and hoped he would continue this during the next Legislative Session as well. Mayor Coughlin inquired regarding the status of the sales tax on City purchases. Senator Novak stated that at the moment,it was status quo. He stated that over the years he has served on the Tax Committee, and there have been very few years that he did not vote for the tax bill. He stated one of these was the year that provision was included in the tax bill. He stated it was part of a deal that was supposed to bring other revenues, in the form of dedicated sales tax revenues and local aid to 16 C:\ADMIN\MINUTES\CC\8-9-99.CC