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te ryiffe 1880 Main S treet, Omumff4 WX SS038 <br /> swffGshecf 1857 651 -429 -3232 or Fax 651 -429 -8629 <br /> January 22, 2014 <br /> To: City of Lino Lakes <br /> City of Circle Pines <br /> With regard to the Joint Powers Agreement for Centennial Fire District and the proposed <br /> amendment to Section 2.6. <br /> For several weeks we have been struggling with the proposal of Lino Lakes to modify the <br /> voting structure of the Fire Steering Committee. We have seriously considered proposals <br /> by Lino Lakes, and have offered counterproposals, however, the only proposal Lino <br /> Lakes representatives have been willing to accept is a veto authority. <br /> Lino Lakes representatives contend that vetoes would be seldom used and will foster <br /> cooperation and discussion, "better decisions." Yet no one can point to a decision that <br /> would have been better had this provision been in affect. Over the past 28 plus years the <br /> District has served its member communities well. Having reviewed meeting minutes, <br /> only once the past ten years have both members of a city been on the losing end of a <br /> motion. Disagreements have been rare and split votes more often occur where two <br /> members of a single city disagree and vote differently. We looked at the organizational <br /> structure of eight different joint powers fire protection entities and none give a single city <br /> the power to veto action of the operating board. <br /> The Steering Committee recommended that the cities consider an amendment that would <br /> grant each city four vetoes per year. While some argue that veto authority would have <br /> beneficial affect on the functioning of the Fire District, we respectfully disagree. We <br /> believe that this provision would encourage micromanaging and delay. Again, history <br /> shows that it is not needed and we cannot support such a drastic change to the governing <br /> structure of the District. <br /> We realize the tragedy of a decision by Lino Lakes to withdraw from the District and <br /> have not considered this matter lightly. The three cities enjoy the highest quality service <br /> and are among the lowest costs for fire protection in the metro area. The three cities have <br /> had a great partnership and we hope Lino Lakes will choose to stay and not leave. We <br /> believe that Centennial Fire District has a bright future regardless of which path Lino <br /> Lakes takes. <br /> Adopted by the City Council this 22 day of January, 2014 <br />