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<br />WS – 7 <br />WORK SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />Work Session Item No. 7 <br /> <br /> <br />Date: April 6, 2020 <br /> <br />To: City Council <br /> <br />From: Jeff Karlson, City Administrator <br /> <br />Re: Metro I-Net Update <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />The City of Lino Lakes has been a member of the Metro I-Net consortium since <br />December 2004. The consortium has grown considerably over that time and now services <br />44 agencies. Metro I-Net’s entire operation is currently under the control of the City of <br />Roseville. <br /> <br />The current structure has presented many challenges for Roseville and is not sustainable <br />for many reasons, including those listed below. <br />• Roseville’s inability to take on additional employees and equipment due a lack of <br />space. <br />• The additional liability Roseville is responsible for. <br />• The recruitment and retention of employees in a competitive labor market. <br />• The existential question of whether the Roseville City Council would want to <br />continue these operations. <br /> <br />These vexing challenges prompted the member cities to discuss other options for the <br />future of Metro I-Net. A sub-group of six members met several times to discuss options <br />regarding the future of Metro I-Net and recommended an independent joint powers entity <br />be established. Membership would be made up of current client cities. The framework <br />for a joint powers agreement was drafted with the help of the law firm, Kennedy & <br />Graven. <br /> <br />The City of Roseville hosted a meeting of all its clients on February 13 and outlined the <br />issues that led to the initiative to establish a joint powers organization to continue IT <br />services. Roseville asked user agencies to indicate a commitment to this idea by March <br />25 in order for Roseville to begin planning the transition to a joint powers entity. <br /> <br />Key Points of the Proposal <br /> <br />• The JPA would be effective January 1, 2021. <br />• Initial membership would consist of current Metro I-Net members that choose to join <br />the group. In order to establish the JPA, at least 15 members are needed. <br />• The Board of Directors would be made up on one representative from each entity. <br />The Board would have authority over the organization and meet at least quarterly. <br />The number of votes each member would get would directly correspond to its share