Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br />6. Q1 and Q2 Public Safety Update <br />Deputy Director of Public Safety/Police Division, Kyle Leibel, and Deputy Director of <br />Public Safety/Fire Division, Dan L’Allier, provided an update to Council of public safety <br />statistics for the first two quarters of 2023. <br />7. Fire Services Discussion <br />Councilmember Lyden read a written statement to Council which outlined his position on the <br />current status of fire service in the City of Lino Lakes and his request to allocate state public <br />safety funding to hire a consultant to address the concerns he believes the City is facing: The <br />challenges with the current model of fire service in the City. That statement is attached to <br />these minutes in full for reference. <br />Councilmember Ruhland stated that because the public safety dollars do not have an <br />expiration date, he does not believe that allocating those dollars at this time is necessary; he <br />further state that he believes that staff is currently evaluating costs and before any decisions <br />are made about hiring any consultants, he would like to hear staff recommendations as they <br />are evaluating the two-year plan which is set to expire at the end of this year. <br />Councilmember Ruhland also stated that he is not opposed to use of a consultant in the <br />future, but he believes it is too soon to commit to that plan of action. <br />Mayor Rafferty concurred with Councilmember Ruhland: At this time, he is not in favor of <br />moving forward with an allocation of the public safety funds to hire an outside consultant <br />until there is more information obtained and that he wants to fully understand the (2024) <br />budget first. <br />Councilmember Lyden voiced concerns with not moving forward with hiring a consultant: he <br />said that he believes if Public Safety Director Swenson believes it is a good idea (to hire a <br />consultant) then that is what should be done. Other members of the Council noted that <br />Director Swenson was absent and could not comment on the matter at this time. <br />Councilmember Cavegn asked if it would be prudent for staff to gather some basic details on <br />the costs and scope of a consultant. Council concurred and directed staff to gather basic <br />information. Council also directed staff to pull together a summary of current costs of fire <br />service. <br />Councilmember Stoesz noted that any discussion needs to include what is down the line for <br />the City, what will be the needs in 10-15 years. <br />Councilmember Lyden stated, for the record, that “We didn’t answer the call, didn’t get a <br />dial tone, we got an answering machine.” Mayor Rafferty stated that he disagreed. <br />8. Council Updates on Boards/Commissions. <br />9. Driveway Access Agreements <br />Community Development Director Michael Grochala advised Council that there are a <br />number of private driveways within the City that use unimproved public right-of-way to