ORONO, Minn. — A Hennepin County judge has ruled for a second time that the City of Orono is in contempt of court for interfering with Long Lake Fire Department (LLFD). The Orono City Council held its first meeting since the contempt order on Monday night. The council went into a closed session to discuss the measures, which upset residents.
"I urge you to reconsider your plans to take over services for Orono," resident Kelly Prchal said during public comment. "You have the ability to make a change. Please show your residents you value their input and their safety."
Orono Mayor Denny Walsh said he feels it's in the city's best interest to have their own department following failed contract discussions years ago with LLFD.
"We would like to have control of what's going on because we have a much bigger human resources, [and] finance department. Just a much bigger background to help everyone run a 30-person department," Walsh said.
Walsh points out that Orono makes up more than half of the service area covered currently by LLFD. Medina is also covered in its jurisdiction.
"It's concerning," Long Lake Mayor Charlie Miner said.
Long Lake filed a lawsuit against Orono for hindering its operations at its fire department by recruiting its firefighters over the summer. A Hennepin County judge granted them a temporary injunction in July, then found Orono in contempt of that injunction in November and most recently in March.
"We don't agree with the judge's decision," Mayor Walsh said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Miner feels validated.
In the March ruling, court documents say Orono "willfully disobeyed" the injunction’s prohibition against Orono’s recruitment of LLFD firefighters by offering a waiver of the standard physical and psychological exam requirements for a class of applicants that included only current LLFD firefighters. Orono was fined for the continued violations of the court orders.
LLFD's former chief is now leading the Orono Fire Department. In the last year, 10 of the on-call paid LLFD firefighters have joined Orono.
"We're trying to do what we can to maintain the fire department we have now so we can continue to provide service to the cities we serve," Mayor Miner said.
Starting in July, the Orono Fire Department will cover roughly one-third of the city around the Navarre neighborhood. Mayor Walsh says they will have their new department running by January 1, 2026.
LLFD promises to service Orono residents through December 31, 2025.
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