HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-07-15 Special Joint City Council Meeting - Approved
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.
City Administrators expanded on the above Position Statements.
Firefighters asked questions and provided input on the five Position Statements, as part of
a dialog with the councils.
Areas needing additional thought and investigation:
EMS response wording clarification
Training location, facilities, equipment
Firefighter response time requirements for stations 1 and 3
Duty crew vs. station response
Meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
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Special Joint City Council meeting
July 15, 2014