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Special City Council Meeting <br /> Thursday,May 22,2014 <br /> Page 11 <br /> additional ways to save money and reduce their 2015 budget request to achieve <br /> full staffing implementation. <br /> Mr. O'Neill reviewed the various models in Attachment A compared to the pro- <br /> posed 2015 budget, including Relief Association funding and net operating budg- <br /> et. Mr. O'Neill referenced the City of Brooklyn Park, who was going through the <br /> same type of challenges as the Roseville Department, and structured similarly, <br /> with a proposal to their City Council to move to eighteen full-time firefighters and <br /> cutting back on part-time staff, creating quiet a different situation than proposed <br /> for Roseville. <br /> Mr. O'Neill advised that he wanted to provide a clear and full picture for the City <br /> Council to be aware of final costs as the Department fully implemented the pro- <br /> posed restructuring, and comparisons to other community's in today's dollars, and <br /> the consistencies in evidence. <br /> Mr. O'Neill briefly reviewed the other 2015 departmental priorities, as detailed in <br /> their materials. <br /> Discussion <br /> At the request of Councilmember Etten, Mr. O'Neill reviewed the Brooklyn Park <br /> option with eighteen full-time firefighters and a full implementation model, in- <br /> cluding their callback options for part-time staff based on the number of fires. <br /> Mr. O'Neill advised that the Roseville option still allowed an opportunity for part- <br /> time firefighters to work in the station beyond call back for major calls, creating a <br /> better retention of those employees. Mr. O'Neill noted that costs of having them <br /> on the payroll would still be in place, no matter the number of calls per year or <br /> percentage they made. By allowing those part-time firefighters to work shifts, <br /> Mr. O'Neill advised that they would be able to keep their training on target at the <br /> station and provide better service to the community as well. <br /> At the request of Councilmember Etten, Mr. O'Neill advised that once the staffing <br /> had been completed restructured, he proposed 18-25 full-time firefighters, with <br /> room remaining in the program for part-time firefighters, with a higher level of <br /> staffing available on a weekly basis than provided in the Brooklyn Park model, <br /> with associated costs of having part-time firefighters on shift versus only on <br /> callback status. <br /> Councilmember McGehee reiterated her request for long-term net savings, opin- <br /> ing that it made it difficult for her to assess differences in the options as proposed <br /> compared with the Brooklyn Park model; and providing opportunities for em- <br /> ployees in the Fire Relief Association versus those in the Public Employees' Re- <br /> tirement Association (PERA) and banking as many hours as possible to improve <br /> those retirement funds. Councilmember McGehee further opined that this was a <br /> long-term cost and very significant. Councilmember McGehee also requested ad- <br />