2014-07-15 Special Joint City Council Meeting - Approved

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SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITIES OF CENTERVILLE AND CIRCLE PINES, MINNESOTA CIRCLE PINES CITY HALL Tuesday, July 15, 2014 7:00 p.m. Those present included Circle Pines Mayor Dave Bartholomay and Centerville Mayor Thomas Wilharber; Circle Pines Councilmembers Matt Percy, Richard Runbeck, Deb O’Brien and Dave Kelso and Centerville Councilmembers Steve King, Ben Fehrenbacher, Jeff Paar and D. Love; Circle Pines City Administrator Jim Keinath and Centerville City Administrator Dallas Larson. Mayor Bartholomay summarized the agenda. He expressed appreciation for firefighters from Centennial Fire District and reminded the audience that the focus of the meeting is on how to plan for continued service to residents of the fire district. Position Statements for the Councils’ consideration were as follows: POSITION STATEMENT #1. Fire District Service Model. While our service area will be reduced, we intend to provide the high quality service that our communities have come to expect. We intend to continue providing high quality fire suppression, fire prevention and medical assistance where appropriate. We will continue to be a center for training. The district will be open to new partnerships with other communities, whatever form those might take. POSITION STATEMENT #2. Number of Volunteer Firefighters. All firefighters assigned to stations 1 and 3 will be assured a position as long as they remain in good standing. While the reduced service area may indicate fewer firefighters are needed than we currently have, we will not lay off any staff. If a lower number is appropriate, the reduction will be achieved through retirement and attrition. POSITION STATEMENT #3. Number of Full-time Staff. We anticipate maintaining a full- time chief and one fire technician position. POSITION STATEMENT #4. Volunteer Firefighter Pension Amount. The Cities will commit to the current pension amount of $4,500 per year of service. While this will require a significant contribution from the two remaining cities, the pension is a high priority. POSITION STATEMENT #5. Commitment to Equipment Replacement. The Cities will provide the needed funding to fully equip the department with high-quality equipment and strive to maintain the high rating we have with Insurance Services Office (ISO Rating). That likely means two first-line pumpers with a fully-equipped back-up engine, rescue vehicles, water rescue, and other equipment. We intend to work closely with CFD leadership in identifying the equipment needs and planning their replacements.