06-10-2026 Workshop Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP MEETING CITY COUNCIL LITTLE CANADA, MINNESOTA JUNE 10, 2026 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a Workshop meeting of the City Council of Little Canada, Minnesota was convened on the 101" day of June 2026 in the Conference Room of the City Center located at 515 Little Canada Road in said City. Mayor Tom Fischer called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and the following members of the City Council were present at roll call: CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Fischer, Council Members Kwapick, Malone, Miller and Schwalbach. Absent: None. ALSO PRESENT: City Administrator Bryce Shearen, Assistant City Administrator Laura Linehan and City Clerk/HR Manager Heidi Heller. Also: Fire Department members Chief Don Smiley, Assistant Chief Kevin Keenan, Assistant Chief Tim Boss, Training Officer Reilly Keenan, David King and Steve Anderson. ANNUAL MEETING WITH LITTLE CANADA FIRE DEPARTMENT The Fire Chief reported that Pat Keenan and Jamie Suciu have retired, two fire fighters resigned and there were two new hires in the last year. He reported there was a 12% decrease in the number of calls in 2025, but so far in 2026 there is a 19% increase from this time last year. He explained auto -aid for the cities that are adjacent to Little Canada, and stated they received auto -aid 57 times and provided it 74 times. He noted they also request and respond to mutual aid. He stated there was only $21,000 in property loss, most of which were vehicle fires. The Fire Chief reported that they responded to 451 calls for service in 2025, which was a 12% decrease from 2024, and he reviewed the different types of classifications for calls. He noted that they respond to a lot of vehicle accidents on the freeway. He explained that they respond automatically to medical calls for vehicle accidents and cardiac arrests, but Allina ambulance service will often call the fire department for lift -assists if someone has fallen and cannot get up or carry -assists to help get someone out of their house to the ambulance. The Fire Chief reviewed the 2025 budget and the larger expenses. He noted that some categories are a guessing game, such as truck and building repairs, and it is very easy to go over budget. He reported they used $560,000 of their charitable gambling proceeds to pay for new equipment, tools, donations and put funds towards new future fire trucks. Keenan stated there are plans for future building maintenance repairs which are budgeted in the city's 10-year capital improvement plan. The Fire Chief reported about the many volunteer events and hours that the firefighters do every year. He noted that the department spent almost 400 hours alone working at Canadian Days in various roles. He stated that the suburban Ramsey County fire departments work together very well and are continuously looking for or starting new ideas.