HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCWkspAgenda 3-7-2012Falcon Heights City Council Workshop City Hall 2077 W Larpenteur Ave. 6:30 p.m. AGENDA Wednesday, March 7, 2012 1) Continued Discussion on a Vacant Building Ordinance 2) Fire Study RFP If you have a disability and need acco mmodation in order to attend this meeting, please notify City Hall 48 hours in advance between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 651-792-760 0. We will be happy to help.
WORKSHOP ITEM Families, Fields and Fair __________________________ Meeting Date March 7, 2012 Agenda Item Workshop 1 Submitted By Bart Fischer, City Administrator The City That Soars! Item Continued Discussion on a Va cant Building Ordinance. Description Based on the discussions from the 2/1/12 Workshop regarding a vacant building ordinance, Staff has had discussions inte rnally and with City Attorney, Roger Knutson. It is Staff and Roger’s opinion th at more discussion should be had on the possible ordinance, especially as it rela tes to what the goal is and what the consequences of passing the ordinance could be. We will continue this discussion on 3/7/12. Budget Impact N/A Attachment(s) The documents and research provided by De b Jones at the 2/1/12 Workshop will be available at the 3/7/12 Workshop for review.
WORKSHOP ITEM Families, Fields and Fair __________________________ Meeting Date March 7, 2012 Agenda Item Workshop 2 Submitted By Bart Fischer, City Administrator The City That Soars! Item Fire Study RFP Description At the 11/9/11 regular Council Meeting, co uncil approved moving forward with the Fire Study RFP. Soon thereafter, the tran sition between Justin and I happened, and it was decided that the RFP would not go out un til the “new guy” was in place. I have reviewed the RFP as well as information in the file regarding the fire in the Grove neighborhood last year. I feel I now have enough information to move forward with advertising the RFP. I have attached the DRAFT RFP for review. I did make a few changes such as replacing Justin’s name with mine as well as the due date for submittals. The plan would be to get the RFP out as s oon as possible and ask for submittals back by mid to end of April. The deadline is Friday, April 20, 2012 at 4:30 pm for now, but this can be changed. I just wanted to touch base to make sure we are all on the same page before moving forward with this. Budget Impact $10,000 has been budgeted and approved for the study. Attachment(s) DRAFT-RFP for Fire Study Services.
Request for Proposals Consultati on Services Operational Analysis of Fire Service City of Falcon Heights PURPOSE The City of Falcon Heights is seeking proposals for professional services to conduct a review of its present fire service deliver y system and make recommendations for improvements in efficiency and effectivenes s of the department. The Falcon Heights Fire Department provides fire services to pr operties within the City of Falcon Heights, which according to the 2010 census has a po pulation of 5,321 and a size of 2.2 square miles. The City of Lauderdale, with a popula tion of 2,379 and a size of .4 square miles, contracts for fire protection from the Ci ty of Falcon Heights. On average, the department responds to 95 fire calls per year be tween both cities. These calls are fire or vehicle accident related, ambulance and EMT se rvice is provided by the City of St. Paul. BACKGROUND The City of Falcon Heights is a first-ring su burb in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Originally incorporated as a village in 1949, it was designated a city in 1974. Neighboring cities include St. Paul to the ea st and south, Roseville to the north, and Lauderdale to the west. The Minnesota State Fairgrounds, home to the Minnesota State Fair, and the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus are within the city’s borders. Emergency services to these institutions are provided by their own police departments and the St. Paul Fire Department. Other major employers in Falcon Heights include Technology Information and Education Services (TIES), a provider of training services to school districts, and Spire Federal Credit Un ion. Roughly 66% of the city’s tax base is held by tax-exempt entities. Falcon Heights enjoys a diverse housing stoc k, including several apartment structures, senior living facilities, and single-family home s. Most of the housing stock was built in the post-war period, although significant re development has occurred within the past ten years, and plans call for more redevelopment in the coming years. Major roadways in the city include Snellin g Avenue, a state highway, as well as Larpenteur Avenue, a county roadway. Th e controlled intersection of these two roadways is one of the busiest intersection s in the metropolitan area. State Highway 280 runs through Lauderdale, which is also in the coverage area for the fire department.
Police services to both Falcon Heights and Lauderdale are provided by the City of St. Anthony Village. Ambulance service to both ci ties is provided by the City of St. Paul. STAFFING AND APPARATUS The Falcon Heights Fire Department is a volu nteer, or paid-on-call, department with an average of twenty firefighters on staff at any one time. The department is led by a chief, who is elected to three-year terms by the membership. Department leadership also includes an assistant chief and three captains. All firefighters are required to have comple ted certified firefighter courses one and two, haz-mat operations, and EMT or first responde r courses. In addition, firefighters must attend at least 33 drills a year, which includes SCBA training at least four times a year. Drills are led by trained department personnel as well as instructors from Hennepin Technical College. Hazardous material traini ng is provided by the North Suburban Haz-Mat Team. The department currently has four apparatus: 1998 Chevrolet four door, ¾ ton pick-up 1991 International General 65' Telesquirt (1500 gallon per minute) 2001 Custom Rescue Pumper (1250 gp m and Hurst extrication equipment) 2005 Custom Full Response Cab 1500 gpm The department is housed in a single statio n co-located in the Falcon Heights City Hall building. The station includ es garage bays for all apparatus, a training room, chief’s office, lounge and kitchen. GENERAL SCOPE OF SERVICES 1. Review response times from 2008-2010 and benchmark against state and national standards for volunteer/paid-on-call departments including NFPA #1720, ISO and CAFI standards. 2. Review department organizational struct ure and workplace culture and make recommendations on potential improvements. 3. Gather input from stakeholders, includ ing members of the fire department, city council, city administration, City of Lauderdale representatives, and neighboring fire departments with which Falcon Heights has aid agreements. 4. Provide a review of current compensation structure as compared to similar cities/departments in Minnesota. The City will work with the successful consultant to identify the cities/dep artments to compare with within the scope of services.
5. Analysis of current staffing levels an d recommendation of appropriate levels to ensure effective response times; compare staffing levels to similar metropolitan departments. Assess ability to recruit and retain paid on-call personnel. 6. Review of t raining procedures and record keeping and provide recommendations on the improvement thereof. 7. Analysis of current equipment status and future needs including a proposed timeframe for replacement or upgrade. 8. Comparison of current departmental budget as compared to similar metropolitan departments including personnel costs, vehicle maintenance and training budgets. 9. Review the existing Standard Operat ing Procedures (SOP’s) and make recommendations for improvements or enhancements. 10. Provide estimate of costs associated with receiving comparable services from an outside agency/fire department. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Interested parties shall submit se ven copies of their proposal to: City of Falcon Heights Attn: City Administrator Bart Fischer 2077 W. Larpenteur Ave. Falcon Heights, MN 55113 Submissions shall include: Background, experience, and reference list of similar studies Proposed methods and approaches in conducting this study Detailed cost breakdown, including a “not to exceed” estimate (identify if cost is fee based or hourly charges) Projected timeline The City of Falcon Heights will assist in providing any and all data necessary to conduct this study. Such information ma y include city maps, GIS data, demographic data, apparatus lists, land use data, response time data from 911 dispatch CAD system, and access to stakeholder contact information. SELECTION PROCESS 1. Written proposals are due by 4:30 pm, April 20, 2012. 2. The City Administrator and Fire Chief will review proposals before submitting a report to the City Council for selection of preferred consultant.
3. The City may, if further information is needed, request proposers to submit answers to written questions or be available for interviews. 4. Upon consultant selection, a formal contract will be formally approved between the consultant and the city council. Questions regarding this proposal shall be directed to City Administrator Bart Fischer at (651) 792-7611 or bart.fischer@falconheights.org .