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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JULY 10, 2023 4 Mayor Grant supported the City speaking with bond counsel to see how this would be managed. Councilmember Monson reported each Fire District was unique and lessons have been learned over time. She explained the LJFD was set up for a better transition into a Fire District than other departments. She commented on how the governance of the fire department had to be addressed in order to allow the organization to grow in order to continue service to the northern part of their service area. She believed it was advantageous to move towards more full time employees. She supported the Fire Board moving towards a Fire District. Mayor Grant requested the fire personnel speak further to the current inefficiencies. Fire Chief Boehlke discussed how operations have changed in the past 20 years. He believed the model for the fire department had to be changed, which comes with massive operational costs. He stated he currently had 85 firefighters and he was trying to staff two fire stations with part time people. He explained there was a need for a third station, which would require significant increase in operating dollars. He stated the inefficiencies came about with the three cities operating under consensus. Mayor Grant stated it was his understanding a Fire Board with elected officials would still be in place if the Fire District were to move forward. Fire Chief Boehlke indicated the vote of the Fire Board would be the final decision and he would no longer have to wait for Council consensus from three different cities. Councilmember Holden stated the bylaws could be amended in order to have only elected officials on the Fire Board. She indicated she was struggling with this being all about money and how much things cost. She explained the City has agreed to additional full-time staff. She commented on the importance of having fire protection in place for the residents of Arden Hills. She questioned if there were other ways to raise funding for the fire department and noted the City may have to look into this further. Fire Chief Boehlke reported the Fire District discussion did not come from the fire department, rather this came from Councilmember McClung and Councilmember Tom Watson from North Oaks. He indicated this was proposed as another way to fund big ticket items in the future. Councilmember Fabel questioned how the 911 system fit into the fire department work and how was it coordinated. Mayor Grant explained the 911 dispatch center was located in St. Paul and police and fire are dispatched out of the same facility. The backup facility is in Arden Hills, if it were ever needed. He discussed how the police and fire dispatchers were integrated within the 911 center. Fire Chief Boehlke commented on the different level of EMT and fire calls the fire department was dispatched to. He discussed how EMT’s were short staffed at this time which meant response times were on the rise.