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<br /> <br /> MEMORADNUM <br /> To: Anoka County Fire Departments <br /> Bill Petracek, City Administrator, Lexington <br /> Gary Grote, Fire Chief, Lexington Fire Department <br /> From: Kurt B. Glaser, City Attorney, Lexington <br /> Date: March 20, 2014 <br /> Re: Proposed Joint Powers Agreement – Anoka County, Fire Protection Council <br /> Analysis and Comments <br /> <br />1.General Comments <br /> <br />a.Policy Considerations <br /> <br />i.The proliferation on various joint powers entities within Anoka County is a <br /> <br />wonderful example of forward thinking and efficient use of taxpayer monies. <br />However, this proliferation of joint powers entities is also creating an expanding <br />bureaucracy within the County that may begin to burden municipal resources, <br />or erode the powers and responsibilities of our elected officials. Deciding to <br />create the proposed Fire Protection Council has long-term implications for all of <br />the member Cities who may participate. One question for consideration is <br />whether the purposes envisioned by the FPC should be unique to its own joint <br />powers entity or whether using existing resources might be a more efficient <br />means to accomplish these purposes. <br /> <br />Other than creating a new entity, a policy question for consideration should be <br />whether the existing governance structure of the Joint Law Enforcement Council <br />could be transformed to include Fire Department operations. Having a single <br />governance structure for all emergency services in the County may be beneficial <br />for simplicity’s sake and save the potential duplication of efforts. Given how <br />both the Joint Law Enforcement Council and the proposed Fire Protection <br />Council require participation by administrative staff and elected officials from <br />each participating City and Township, a single joint powers entity for emergency <br />services could be more efficient than two separate entities. <br /> <br />Given the turmoil surrounding the member Cities of the Centennial Fire District, <br />an alternate strategy should be considered in the event they cannot adopt the <br />proposed Joint Powers Agreement. One of these potential strategies could <br />include consideration of having the existing (or a transformed) Joint Law <br />Enforcement Council manage emergency services (fire and law enforcement) <br />and/or the new computer system using its existing countywide governance <br />structure. <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br /> <br />