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Special City Council Meeting <br /> Thursday,July 18,2013 <br /> Page 5 <br /> receiving valuable training experience in Roseville that they then applied to other <br /> jobs and departments. <br /> Chief O'Neill advised that, over the last week, he had significantly revised his ini- <br /> tial list of budget priorities due to the deferment of the Health Care Reform Act <br /> and implications to the Fire Department budget; originally attempting to look at <br /> financial options to best staff the Fire Department in 2014 and beyond with those <br /> added costs. Even though impacts of the Act had been alleviated for one (1) year, <br /> Chief O'Neill noted that his previous presentation included providing the City <br /> Council with a set of various options, and distributed that list as a foundation to <br /> initiate those discussions for the 2015 budget and beyond if that employer health <br /> care mandate for part-time employees is put in place. Chief O'Neill advised that <br /> he had attempted to look at paying benefits from a holistic standpoint, and had <br /> identified five (5) options that also address various ranges for stability in the de- <br /> partment, not just funding, but stabilizing the budget long-term. With levy limits <br /> mandated for 2014, Chief O'Neill advocated for long-term stabilization of the <br /> Fire Department, noting that staffing continued to evolve and challenge that sta- <br /> bility, necessitating a review of options for a long-range plan. <br /> Councilmember Laliberte agreed with Chief O'Neill that health care issues need- <br /> ed to be addressed and prepared for long-term; along with determining the best <br /> option for stabilizing Fire Department staffing. <br /> Mayor Roe noted the unknowns until the Act was actually implemented. <br /> Councilmember Willmus referenced spreadsheets received earlier this week from <br /> Mayor Roe questioning if and how Fire and EMS services were allocated. <br /> Chief O'Neill advised that Mayor Roe's spreadsheet did not separate the two <br /> functions,but advised that the information was available and could be provided to <br /> the City Council. Since the City was already staffing the medical component, <br /> Chief O'Neill opined that it would not cost more for the City to run the EMS <br /> function other than costs for vehicles, fuel and general supplies related to the ser- <br /> vice. Chief O'Neill advised that the department had an exchange program with <br /> Allina for medications used by first responders; with the department therefore not <br /> stocking those medications or having any financial outlay for those supplies. <br /> Mayor Roe clarified that his spreadsheets were predicated on the time studies <br /> completed in the last few years program by program; identifying the 2013 budget <br /> section accordingly and breakout for personnel, services, supplies and materials as <br /> noted. <br /> Chief O'Neill stated that he would like to point out, in regard to wages and bene- <br /> fits, that the recently completed Compensation Study did not include part-time <br /> firefighters, and only included full-time Fire Department staff. If the City Council <br /> decided to implement the recommendations from the Study, Chief O'Neill asked <br />