2022-141 Council Resolution - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM 4A STAFF ORIGINATOR: John Swenson, Public Safety Director MEETING DATE: November 28, 2022 TOPIC: Resolution No. 22-141 Supporting the MN Statute 383E.21 Establishing a County Public Safety Levy. VOTE REQUIRED: 3/5 INTRODUCTION The Anoka County Public Safety Levy is set to expire on December 31, 2023 and the Joint Law Enforcement Council (JLEC) is requesting members support legislation that would extend the levy authority to December 31, 2033 and a proposed amendment that would not include this levy within the certified levy of Anoka County. BACKGROUND The JLEC was formed in 1970 as a joint powers board to benefit public safety efforts for all residents of Anoka County. JLEC is comprised of 26 voting members consisting of the Anoka County Attorney, 11 chief law enforcement officers (10 municipal chiefs and 1 county sheriff), and 14 elected officials (12 representing municipalities in Anoka County and 2 representing Anoka County). The elected officials are appointed to JLEC by their respective City Council or County Board. The levy authority granted by MN statute 383E.21 authorized the Anoka County Board to levy property taxes to fund public safety projects and equipment projects approved by the JLEC. The amount levied at any time allowed under this statute cannot exceed $8,000,000. This authority was most recently used to fund the county wide Public Safety Data System which included computer aided dispatching (CAD), law enforcement record management system(RMS), fire RMS, and jail management RMS. This project resulted in an increase in data sharing not only within Anoka County but on state-wide and national levels amongst public safety agencies, leveraged the economy of scale of all Anoka County agencies to achieve favorable pricing, created redundancies and support for the systems for the betterment of public safety throughout Anoka County. This project was completed under budget. Prior to the Public Safety Data System project, the JLEC leveraged the collective resources of all of Anoka County public safety agencies to upgrade radio communication systems to the 800 MHz radio system. This ensured that all agencies and the Anoka County Dispatch Center could systematically upgrade all public safety agencies to the enhanced 800 MHz system in manner that ensured inoperability and first responder safety. Through discussion with JLEC members and members of the Anoka County Board there are two proposed changes to MN Statute 383E.21 which are: