2008-07-23 CC - Approved - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of Centerville City Council Meeting July 23, 2008 Mayor Capra stated that they will make sure this information gets out to the press. She added that, if anyone has questions, they can ask her. 3. Rush Line Corridor Mayor Capra stated that she has information she will leave if anyone is interested. She reported that the Rush Line Corridor is moving along, and they received funding to expand the bus service. The new Metro Transit Tax, that most metro areas have, will be going to fund some of the transportation. She added that the Mayors of Coon Rapids and Andover will be on the Commission to decide where the dollars are spent. 4. Police Commission Budget Mayor Capra reported that the Police Governing Board had a long meeting, but did finally get to the Police Budget. There is $400,000 in Reserve. She stated that, if there was a necessity, they could hold a special meeting and pull funds out of Reserve. The Police Chief included apart-time volunteer coordinator in the budget, whose salary would come out of the Reserve as in 2009 as a trial period. They would allow that position as a pilot program for one year, which would reduce the City's share by about $14,000. She added that the CERT Grant was approved, but this money was for hiring a separate person. She added that the Police Chief stated that they would look at Councilmember Lakeo to perform Grant duties. 5. Fire Steering Committee Councilmember Paar stated that in honor of the Chief Bennett's retirement, there will be a get-together, with cake and coffee, at Station 2 in Lino Lakes on Thursday, August 21, from 2-7 p.m. City employees and the City Council should arrive at 5 p.m. It will also be open to the Public. Councilmember Paar stated that Chief Bennett has been in the fire service for 35 years with approximately 18 years at Centennial Fire, he is a great guy, and done a great job. Councilmember Paar recommended that the City Council attend this get-together. Councilmember Paar reported that he and City Administrator Larson attended the Fire Steering Committee meeting on July 17, which was primarily for review of the budget. The budget for 2009 has a 4.4% increase, due to fuel costs. There was an increase for communications, because the stations are networked together. The utilities increased because of energy and fuel costs. Councilmember Paar stated that Chief Bennett and newly appointed Chief Streik wrote a SAFER Grant, to get a daytime fire fighter to assist with a daytime calls and inspections. They are struggling, because there are not a lot of people working night shifts anymore. The night shift employees would cover that position in the past, because they were home during the day. In the City's budget, there is a dollar amount for each of the three cities involved. If the Grant is approved, it will put them on top to get more Grants. If the Grant is not approved, something should be done to still get the daytime fire fighter. Page 8 of 9