06-15-2020-WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 15, 2020 2 B. Lake Johanna Fire Department Station Cities Agreement Discussion City Administrator Perrault this was an update to the information provided at the May work session. City Administrator Perrault commented since the May work session, the LJFD Board of Director's authorized the fire chief to move forward with signing a purchase agreement for the property and that the purchase agreement did not change from the one presented to Council in May. City Administrator Perrault reported prior to closing on the land, the cities will need to have agreed upon their respective responsibilities with regards to the land acquisition and future responsibilities regarding development. It is important to remember the City is part of the Lake Johanna Fire Department Board where Arden Hills has one vote, North Oaks has one vote and Shoreview has two votes. There are no plans at this time for moving forward with station construction, the department is only focused on land acquisition. The major points of the draft agreement that Council will need to provide staff direction were the financing, timeline of construction and development fees. Staff commented further on the funding options for the fire station and requested direction from the Council. Mayor Grant asked if the City would be able to purchase the fire station in the future. City Administrator Perrault stated this language was not included in the agreement but staff could include this language. Councilmember Holmes commented she did not believe it was necessary for the City to contemplate ever purchasing the fire station. Mayor Grant stated he would like the City to have the option. Councilmember Holmes believed the City did not need the option. Councilmember Scott indicated he could support the language being included, but explained he did not believe it was in the City's best interest to get in the habit of owning fire stations. Councilmember Holden questioned why staff was presenting bonding information for the entire project versus just the land price. City Administrator Perrault reported the agreement outlined how the three cities would participate in the land purchase and fire station construction at some point in the future. Councilmember Holden stated she was not interested in the City bonding for the building at this time. She indicated the economy could change drastically over the next 10 years. She supported this being done at a future date.