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MINUTES <br />CITY COUNCIL <br />MARCH 3, 1993 <br />chief would then have to negotiate with the City <br />Council over Fire Department budget issues. <br />Pedersen asked if the Fire Department foresaw a time <br />when it might become a City department. Pedersen asked <br />if there were liability issues for the City under the <br />present arrangement. Pedersen pointed out that the <br />majority of the public does not understand that the <br />Fire Department is not a City department. <br />Boss did not feel there was anything to gain by <br />chanqing the Fire Department to a City department. <br />Boss pointed out that currently the Fire Dept. is able <br />to buy equipment tax-free, which it could not do as a <br />City department. Boss reported that the Roseville and <br />Vadnais Heights Fire Departments are city-owned <br />departments because those cities put up the money to <br />get the departments going initially. Maplewood is a <br />private non-profit department. <br />Pedersen reported that he recently attended a seminar <br />for newly-elected officials at which an attorney <br />recommended that all cities be sure their Fire Chief <br />was a city employee. <br />Morelan indicated that two things might push the issue <br />of the Fire Department becoming a City department. <br />Those were if the level of service provided by the Fire <br />Department dropped off to an unacceptable level, and <br />the second might be cost. <br />Boss reported that he viewed the Fire Department as <br />belonginq to all the citizens of Little Canada and <br />there to serve those citizens. <br />Pedersen reported that when he was campaigning last <br />fall he found that citizens had questions about the <br />Fire Department. Pedersen thought that it might be a <br />matter of educating the public more about the Fire <br />Department. <br />Boss pointed out the budget dispute between the City <br />and Fire Department a couple of years ago, and thought <br />that the problem arose in that the Fire Department had <br />failed to communicate with the City. Boss pointed out <br />the information that was provided to the Council this <br />evening, and the fact that the Fire Department has <br />plans for additional public education. Boss felt that <br />the vast majority of citizens have respect for the <br />volunteer fire-fiqhting industry, but that does not <br />give the Fire Department the right not to communicate. <br />Page 9 <br />