Dear Friends of the Lake,

The Forest Lake Lake Association (FLLA) recently reached out to candidates running for city council and mayor, including Bruce Anderson, Sam Husnik, Jason Mayhew, Blake Roberts, Jeff Larson, Hanna Valento, Jesse Wagner, and Susan Young. Our goal was to gather their views on critical issues impacting Forest Lake (the lake) to help residents make informed voting decisions. Please note the FLLA is not endorsing or taking a position with any of the candidates.

The questions focused on essential lake-related topics, including:

1. The city's role in maintaining and protecting Forest Lake.
2. The candidate’s perspective on the city's current funding commitment for lake improvement.
3. Views on enforcing shoreline ordinances to protect Forest Lake’s natural habitat.

We thank candidates Hanna Valento, Blake Roberts, and Susan Young for their responses, which are included here. All questions and background information were shared with each candidate via email and mail.

Thank you for your continued support in preserving and protecting Forest Lake for our community and please remember to vote on November 5th.

Warm regards,

Chris Parrucci

President, FLLA

Question 1

What role do you believe the city should play in the maintenance and protection of Forest Lake?

Response: Hanna Valento

I think the City should play a role in maintaining and protecting the lake. The City has a great relationship with the Forest Lake Lake Association (FLLA) and I would like to see that continue for the benefit of the lake, our community, and future generations. I think if there’s ways the City can be a better team player, the City Council and staff would be all ears. We all know how important the lake is to our community and would love to see it continue to be properly maintained and protected.

Response: Blake Roberts

The city has an important role to play in protecting the lake. As a founding member and past president of the Forest Lake Lake Association, I have advocated for the city to be a key partner in the protecting and maintaining Forest Lake. This first began with the partnership between the lake association and city on the weed harvester program and herbicide treatments. Continuing to be a strong partner with the lake association and watershed district is a critical role of the city. The protection and maintenance of the lake needs to be one of the city’s highest priorities. 

Response: Susan Young

Susan also shared this background information: Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the questions of the Forest Lake Lake Association (FLLA). As a long-time FLLA member I am familiar with the concerns of FLLA members. I also have education (B.S, M.S.) in aquatic ecology and geology and have volunteered for more than 15 years with SHEP through the Friends of the Mississippi (https://fmr.org/stream-health-evaluation-program-in-dept). My answers below come from my perspectives as a scientist, a Forest Lake resident, and a person familiar with the challenges of city, county and state governments.

The City has a statutory obligation, and expectations by residents, to protect the water quality of all water bodies in Forest Lake. I believe protection of water quality as not only a statutory obligation but a basic and necessary function of the City government. While all water bodies are required to be protected, due to the size of Forest Lake and its watershed, the great majority of the City’s activities are dedicated to Forest Lake. The statutory aspect of this work is the City’s MS4 Permit (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System). The 2025 current City budget for MS4 water quality activities is $ 625,594 with a projected year-end Fund Balance of $1,530,742. The activities the City performs include:

• Enhanced Street Sweeping especially in areas that drain to Forest Lake
• Weed Harvester Operation/Maintenance on Forest Lake
• Boat Inspections at Forest Lake and Clear Lake
• AIS Treatment for Forest Lake and Clear Lake
• Downtown Stormwater Planning
• Culvert Installations/Repairs
• Pond Assessments and Cleanings
• Surface Water Mapping Projects
• Judicial Ditch Maintenance
• Water Quality Testing
• Stormwater Infrastructure Rehab during Road Projects
• Televising of Stormwater pipe
• Regional Stormwater Planning
• MS4 permit administration 
• Public Outreach and Education
• City Staff Training

Examples of the 2024 expenditure on specific activities/items include:

• Enhanced Street Sweeping - $100,000 annually
• Pond Cleaning – $50,000-$100,000/pond (Forest Lake has over 100 ponds most of which protect lake waters from direct runoff)
• Rural Culvert Replacements - $5,000-$10,000 each
• Easement Pipe Lining - $30,000 annually
• Weed Harvester - $20,000 annually
• Urban Curb/Gutter and Catch Basin Repairs - $25,000-$150,000 annually
• AIS Treatment/Boat Inspections - $60,000 annually
• MS4 Permit Administration - $25,000 annually
• Recent Equipment Purchases - $250,000 (Regen Sweeper), $120,000 (Excavator)
• Engineering Costs - $50,000 annually
• Public Works Staff Labor - $100,000 annually

The City also, correctly, uses Police, Fire, and Public Works resources to support events such as fishing tournaments, snowmobile racing, ice fishing and other activities on Forest Lake.

The City should also take every public opportunity, such as the Spring Fling, semi-yearly Council Workshops, signage at parks and at the various ponds, to inform residents of the need for protection of the City’s waters, even if they seem to be “far away” from specific lakes. Using the City’s newsletters, email blasts, and the City’s sign board are also opportunities to educate residents and businesses of their opportunities to improve lake water quality by their yard and home management practices.

Question 2

If elected to city council, would you vote to reduce, maintain, or increase the City’s $63,750 participation in the current lake protection and improvement agreement?

Response: Hanna Valento

I would not reduce the amount. I would at least maintain the amount, and I would entertain an increase because I have always supported our parks, trails, and lakes and I don’t think the city has historically done enough for those three areas. The only difficulty in increasing the amount, is the total increase to the tax levy in a given year. With the creation of the ten-year budget plan, we have been focused on fully funding our roads, putting money towards our parks, maintaining our city-owned buildings, and more. It has been a heavy lift for staff and City Council since the City hasn’t seen tax increases like the one last year. Approving a budget is a balancing act of trying to provide the amenities the community wants and needs and being fiscally responsible. An increase can always be discussed and at least added to the ten-year budget plan so we can visually see what that does to our tax levy in the years to come.

Response: Blake Roberts

I will absolutely vote to maintain the city’s funding. If there is a reason or need to increase the city's participation, I would be supportive of that as well. The funding agreement between the city, watershed district and lake association has worked well in what seems to currently be adequate funding of $150,000. In addition to this funding, the city is doing such things as enhanced street sweeping and maintenance of stormwater ponds to protect and improve all the lakes in the city.

Response: Susan Young

The Current Agreement was negotiated between FLLA, the Comfort Lake/Forest Lake Watershed District (District) and the City and finalized in March of 2024. This Joint Agreement details the responsibility of each party to perform specific activities regarding aquatic invasive species and lake management. The Parties agreed to contribute the following amounts to perform the actions required in the Agreement:

• City of Forest Lake: $63,750
• District: $63,750
• FLLA: $22,500

The Agreement-specified activities for the City are to conduct native Plant harvesting and other Lake management activities to support the recreational qualities of the lake and are in addition to the requirements of the MS4 Permit, above. The City, the District, and the FLLA are also required to create a Reserve fund to respond to unforeseen challenges to AIS and Lake Management activities.

Before supporting a blanket increase in the City’s direct financial participation in the Agreement, I must evaluate the additional activities to be performed, and the additional contributions of the District and FLLA in an Agreement. Remembering my 2024 property tax bill of $5,664, I am mindful of the City General Fund Levy and the $1,805,843 Forest Lake Watershed District assessment included in that bill and the MS4 fee on all City property owners. It is important to me that all funds be spent effectively to achieve data-verified benefits to Forest Lake, similar to the data obtained through SHEP which has verified benefits of silt fencing and other watershed protections. If presented with specific activities and cost-sharing commitments to improve Lake water quality, I would support such an increase.

Question 3

The City has a shoreline ordinance in place to protect shoreline trees and natural vegetation but has not promoted or enforced this ordinance. A 2022 white paper, “Minnesota’s Vanishing Natural Shorelines: a Loss that Contributes to Degraded Lake Quality” (a Summary Report to the Policy Committee of the Clean Water Council), indicates this is a state level problem that must be addressed. In that study, the DNR scared 836 lakes for natural shorelines. Forest Lake scored in the bottom 1% of the lakes. How and what would you do to address this loss of natural shoreline issue?

Response: Hanna Valento

I think the best way to address the loss of our natural shoreline on Forest Lake is collaboration and education. In a perfect world, the shoreline would be natural because that’s what has been shown to preserve the lake. However, I have to imagine, there’s people who live on a lake who wouldn’t appreciate a natural shoreline. That’s where education must come into play. The City of Forest Lake, FLLA, the Comfort Lake Forest Lake Watershed District, and Washington County all have great relationships. I think we can use those relationships to spread awareness of the benefits of a protective natural shoreline. When it comes to the City’s ordinance, I think we could take a tiered approach if the goal is to get more homeowners to have a protective natural shoreline. In the tiered approach, I think the first goal would be for the City of Forest Lake, FLLA, and the Comfort Lake Forest Lake Watershed District to continue working together to push out educational materials and host open houses regarding the benefits of protective natural shorelines, why that should be the goal for homeowners on the lake, and how the City does have an ordinance in place that will be enforced. I think after education has been pushed, the City could then start to enforce its ordinance. Ideally, an ordinance would be enforced from the day it’s enacted, but with this topic, I think education should come first. Slowly but surely, we can get there if we work together.

Response: Blake Roberts

When there is new construction on any lake in the city, the city absolutely requires residents to adhere to our shoreline ordinances. The lack of natural shoreline has been an issue for lakes within the metro area for decades. Continuing to educate lakeshore property owners and requiring new construction to adhere to shoreline ordinances, over time help restore natural shoreline. I am open to stepping up code enforcement to help with this issue, but would be mindful of property owner’s rights when doing so. 

Response: Susan Young

I’ve spent both professional and volunteer careers educating folks about low impact lawn and garden care, littoral zone planting species and techniques, watershed management techniques, potential watershed regulations and other activities to protect water quality and aquatic species diversity. Thomas Jefferson in the early 1800’s was the first to encourage use of groomed lawns instead of native or natural grassed areas….and his vison took hold even stronger and more enduring than native grape vines (my personal pasture fence nemesis). A solution will require both education and enforcement actions. Until we make protective landscapes more “fashionable” than lawns groomed to the water’s edge, we will not move beyond the bottom 1% of lakes with protected shorelines noted by FLLA. Until we are willing to encourage and support City staff to enforce existing shoreline ordinances, those resistant to persuasion will continue to impair water quality for all.

Forest lake Community Education, the Washington County Master Gardeners, FLLA, the DNR, FMR, and a host of others have provided classes, grants to property owners, on-site assistance and other encouraging and persuasive opportunities for residents of the watersheds in the City. Forest Lake, as a shallow, eutrophic water body is especially susceptible to even small sediment and nutrient loading, leading to increased vegetation and decreased water depths and clarity. The City has a history of not enforcing environmental or “livability” ordinances unless a specific complaint is filed, and for many years there were no inspection or enforcement staff to follow up complaints and resolve problems. I would, strongly, support enforcement of the City’s ordinances and regulations, including use of funds from the Agreement, above, and/or MS4 if legally possible. There are times when enforcement, supplemented with education and support, have turned opinions and perceptions around. Over my career I have seen significant improvements in many environmental indicators which resulted from strong community or interest group efforts and dedication to a vision.  If FLLA as an organization can marshal the support of even 85% of the lake property owners and add in folks like me who do not live “on” the Lake but recognize its value, we can convince neighbors to be better stewards and require the City to better enforce its ordinances where needed. We can climb out of the lowest 1% of lakes with shoreline, and water quality protections, but we must act together. Will you join me?