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++~ ,1 t7 Page 8 City Council Minutes April 27, 1994 Public Safety is only slightly more than refuse service, and is much more important. Mayor Baldwin thanked Mr. Garcia for his comments and noted that St. Paul, Ramsey County, and St. Anthony are proposing that Falcon Heights have its own patrol district. Ms. Judy Sabean, 1847 North Pascal Street, stated that in her opinion, St. Anthony seems too small and understaffed to give Falcon Heights the protection that it needs. She also commented that the five to seven minute response time under Ramsey County's 16-hour proposal is much too long. Mayor Baldwin thanked everyone for their comments and interest. He then reviewed the goals and priorities for police services and stated that ideally, the Council should give him and the adminis- trator a sense of what direction to take next. Councilmember Gehrz commented that it is the consensus of the community that patrol visibility is important and that if affordable, that visibility should be available 24 hours a day. She felt that when she heard people saying "tax me more if you need to" in order to get improved service, she knew that the current system was not meeting people's needs. Gehrz stated that the City of Roseville has a professional department but that the cost to have them here 24 hours a day is quite high; in addition, Roseville is quite busy within their own city limits. Gehrz further stated that she had concerns related to the size of St. Paul as related to the size of Falcon Heights and whether Falcon Heights would have any influence over the decision making process in St. Paul. Ramsey County has a great track record in Falcon Heights, but Gehrz stated concern over the five to seven minute response time from Arden Hills. Councilmember Gehrz expressed her opinion that the City of St. Anthony would be the best fit for Falcon Heights in terms of size, ability' to provide 24 hour patrol, communication style, and cost. Councilmember Gehrz moved that the City Council authorize the Mayor and City Administrator to meet with the Police Chief of the City of St. Anthony to discuss interest in shared services and authorize the City Administrator and City Attorney to enter into negotiations with the City of St. Anthony to work out details of a police contract. Councilmember Jacobs commented that he was very impressed with St. Paul's Chief Finney and the St. Paul proposal. However, he expressed concerned about the amount of control the council would exert over Falcon Heights' policing activities in such a large organization. Their proposal is also vague in some areas.