HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-25-2024 Council Meeting PacketCITY COUNCIL AGENDA
· MEETING·
Monday, March 25, 2024
6:30 p.m.
(Scheduled to be broadcast on Channel 16)
City Council: Mayor Rafferty, Councilmembers Cavegn, Lyden, Ruhland and Stoesz
City Administrator: Sarah Cotton
COUNCIL WORK SESSION, 6:00 P.M.
Community Room (not televised)
1.Review/Discuss 2014 Fire Department Analysis
2.Review Regular Agenda
CITY COUNCIL MEETING, 6:30 P.M.
Call to Order and Roll Call
Pledge of Allegiance
Public Comment (sign-in prior to start of meeting per Rules of Decorum)
Setting the Agenda: Addition or deletion of agenda items
1.CONSENT AGENDA
A.Consider Approval of Expenditures for March 25, 2024 (Check No. 120390 through
120482) in the Amount of $661,506.63
B.Consider Approval of March 4, 2024 Work Session Minutes
C.Consider Approval of March 11, 2024 Work Session Minutes
D.Consider Approval of March 11, 2024 Council Meeting Minutes
E.Consider Approval of the Hiring of Part-Time Staff for the Rookery Activity Center
F.Consider Approval of Resolution 24-21, Authorizing Solicitor Permit
G.Consider Approval of Resolution 24-19, Approve Certificate of Completion, DRF Lino
Eye Building
2.FINANCE DEPARTMENT REPORT
No Report
3.ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT REPORT
No Report
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Council Agenda -2- March 25, 2024
4. PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT REPORT
No Report
5. PUBLIC SERVICES DEPARTMENT REPORT
No Report
6. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REPORT
A. Consider Approval of Resolution No. 24-20, Order Project, Approve Plans, Authorize
AFB, 2024 Rejuvenator Project, Diane Hankee
7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None
8. NEW BUSINESS
None
Adjournment
Community Calendar – A Look Ahead
March 26, 2024 through April 8, 2024
• Wednesday, March 27: Environmental Board Meeting
• Monday, April 1: City Council Work Session
• Monday, April 8: City Council Work Session & Meeting
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CITY COUNCIL
WORK SESSION STAFF REPORT
ITEM NO. 1
STAFF ORIGINATOR: Sarah Cotton, City Administrator
WORK SESSION DATE: March 25, 2024
TOPIC: Review/Discuss 2014 Fire Department Analysis
______________________________________________________________________________
BACKGROUND
At the March 11, 2024, City Council meeting, Mayor Rafferty distributed copies of the 2014 Fire
Department Analysis that was performed by Springsted, Inc and was presented at the May 27,
2014 City Council meeting.
Mayor Rafferty asked for a motion to add the topic to the March 25 Work Session Agenda.
Mover: Lyden, Seconder: Ruhland.
REQUESTED COUNCIL DIRECTION
None. For review and discussion purposes only.
ATTACHMENTS
2014 Fire Department Analysis
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CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM 3A
STAFF ORIGINATOR: Jeff Karlson
MEETING DATE: May 27, 2014
TOPIC: Fire Department Analysis
VOTE REQUIRED: 3/5
INTRODUCTION
Springsted, Inc. has completed the Fire Department Analysis and will present its findings at the
May 27 meeting. The project manager, Dave Unmacht, and the fire services consultant, Pat
Simpson, will be available by phone to summarize the report.
BACKGROUND
On March 10, 2014, the City Council authorized Springsted, Inc. to complete an analysis of
service delivery options for a municipal fire department. Springsted identified five specific
components to the scope of services:
1. Provide an overview of baseline fire service, including risk, demand, deployment, and
response time.
2. Identify different options and models for organizing a fire department.
3. Evaluate adding one facility with a preliminary location on Birch Street.
4. Develop a list of essential needs required to begin a new fire department.
5. Identify pros and cons of combining the police and fire department.
In their analysis, Springsted presented six options for providing fire service to the Lino Lakes
community. The fire committee is recommending that all but two options be eliminated,
including the option of staying with the Centennial Fire District, which has proven to be the most
difficult option given Centerville’s and Circle Pines’ reluctance to amend the governance
structure in the Joint Powers Agreement. The two most viable options are to create a new Lino
Lakes Fire Department or to incorporate fire services into the Public Safety Department.
Creating a new Lino Lakes Fire Department was the initial policy direction of the City Council
based on several assumptions that were made from the outset. Many of these assumptions were
confirmed in the Springsted report, which are as follows:
1.Lino Lakes is 70% of the Centennial Fire District’s population and growing, while
Centerville and Circle Pines are mostly built out. This disparity will keep growing and
more of the service deliveries and fire safety issues will occur in Lino Lakes.
2. The new LLFD will need at least one new station on Birch Street to cover the southern
area of the city.
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3. Annual operating costs for a new fire department with two stations would be
approximately the same as the current annual contribution to the Centennial Fire District.
Capital costs will be financed through bonds with a 15-20 year repayment schedule.
4. A new fire station in the southern portion of the Lino Lakes would have been necessary
in the near future even if Lino Lakes stayed with the CFD, with Lino Lakes paying 100%
of the construction costs.
5. Creating a new LLFD will still necessitate entering into mutual aid agreements with other
municipal jurisdictions.
6. Startup costs for a new fire department consists of capital costs for construction of the
new station and purchase of fire apparatus, in addition to the costs of recruiting, training,
and outfitting new personnel.
A preliminary cost assessment for a new fire department is included in Springsted’s report.
Their cost projections for operations, apparatus, training, and turnout gear are generally worse
case scenarios and the actual costs will likely be much less, especially given that Lino Lakes will
acquire 68% of the District’s equipment assets and retain current CFD fire personnel.
Because of the two-year transition timeline from the date the withdrawal notice was given to the
Centennial Fire District (January 28, 2014), it is critical that the Council act quickly on a
decision to move this forward.
As noted earlier, the fire committee reviewed the options in the report and recommends that the
Council strongly consider incorporating fire operations into the Public Safety Department. The
pros and cons of a combined police and fire department model are identified in the report. Also
included in the report is a conceptual organizational structure with two career deputy directors,
one for police operations and one for fire operations. Both would report to the Public Safety
Director.
If the Council agrees that the City should move forward to Phase II of the fire department
analysis, the next step would be to authorize staff to move forward with implementation of the
preferred option, which is to combine police and fire operations into a Public Safety Department.
Implementation would include the following:
1. Contact architectural firms to begin the process of site location and building design for
the new fire station.
2. Contract with consultants who can assist the City in developing a business model that
includes capital, staffing and personnel, operational and facility needs.
3. Begin recruiting and training efforts for new fire personnel.
4. Develop a thorough and easily understandable phasing plan that addresses all aspects
within the analysis and any other issues that come up during the implementation phase.
5. Create job descriptions for new personnel and conduct a compensation study.
6. Hire personnel to expedite the implementation of fire operations in the Public Safety
Department.
7. Establish a fire relief pension fund that will attract new recruits and current CFD
firefighters.
RECOMMENDATION
Direct staff to proceed with Phase II of the fire department analysis, which would incorporate
fire services in the Public Safety Department.
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City of Lino Lakes, Minnesota
Fire Department Analysis
David Unmacht and Pat Simpson
Springsted Incorporated
May 27, 2014
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 1
Table of Contents
I. The Fire Study ......................................................................................................................................... 2
II. The Study Process ................................................................................................................................. 2
III. Overview of Baseline Fire Service (Risk Demand, Deployment and Response Time) .................. 3
Centennial Fire District (CFD) ................................................................................................................. 3
Personnel and Staffing .............................................................................................................................. 4
Risk, Demand, Deployment ...................................................................................................................... 5
Population Growth and Development ....................................................................................................... 5
Incident Type Trends ................................................................................................................................ 8
Geospatial Mapping of Fire and EMS Demand ........................................................................................ 9
Total Response Time Analysis ............................................................................................................... 12
Station Location Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 13
IV. Identify Different Options and Models for Organizing a Fire Department .................................. 16
Option 1 – Stay with current Fire Protection District ............................................................................. 17
Option 2 – Create a new Lino Lakes Fire Department (LLFD) .............................................................. 17
Option 3 – Contract for fire services with another fire department(s) .................................................... 18
Option 4 – Establish a new District with additional jurisdictions ........................................................... 18
Option 5 – New city department and contract for services with Centerville and Circle Pines ............... 21
Option 6 – Create a Public Safety Department combining Police and Fire functions ............................ 21
V. Evaluate Adding One Facility with a Preliminary Location on Birch Street ................................. 24
Recommended Lino Lakes Birch Street Station ..................................................................................... 24
VI. Develop a List of Essential Requirements to Begin a New Fire Department ................................ 27
National Standards for Fire Suppression ................................................................................................. 27
OSHA Regulations .................................................................................................................................. 28
Insurance Services Office (ISO) ............................................................................................................. 29
Lino Lakes Fire Department Equipment Needs ...................................................................................... 29
Preliminary Cost Assessment .................................................................................................................. 29
Volunteer Recruitment and Retention ..................................................................................................... 32
APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................................ 35
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 2
I. The Fire Study
The City of Lino Lakes is exploring options to initiate a municipal fire department. To assist in this
process they contracted with Springsted Incorporated to complete a high level analysis of service delivery
options. The purpose of this study is to provide information to the City and to provide policy guidance for
the City Council. There are five specific components to the scope of services:
1. Provide an overview of baseline fire service including risk, demand, deployment
and response time.
2. Identify different options and models for organizing a fire department.
3. Evaluate adding one-facility with a preliminary location on Birch Street.
4. Develop a list of essential needs required to begin a new Fire Department.
5. Identify pros and cons of combining the police and fire department.
This study was initiated by the City for governance, policy and financial considerations. This is not a
program evaluation or study of the performance of the Centennial Fire District. Testimony indicated that
the Fire District was providing very good service; however, in recent months the City was involved in
discussions on broader, more policy-based concerns. In order to ensure a thorough analysis, we created
our draft report with sections that define each of the five individual components of this scope of services.
During the course of the study, we determined that the discussion of a combined fire/police structure was
more appropriately included with the other options and models for organizing a fire department. That
discussion was moved accordingly, leaving four distinct sections in the report which cover the first four
points listed above.
The City Council encouraged the consultants to use the expertise and experience of the city staff and they
have been involved in the discussion, analysis and development of the concepts and ideas contained in the
report. The City Council is also studying the fire pension plan as a complement component to the baseline
fire analysis.
II. The Study Process
To date, the study process involved the following 12 steps:
1. Individual interviews with the Mayor and each City Council member
2. Interviews with the Police Chief, City Administrator and Community Development Director
3. Interviews with the Fire Chief, Fire Department command staff, and Firefighters
4. Interviews with the City Administrators in Circle Pines and Centerville and the Anoka County
911 Director
5. General interview with a metropolitan Fire Chief and official with the Minnesota Fire Chiefs
Association
6. Tour and drive through the community
7. Review and evaluation of existing fire department data
8. Preparation of Working Notes for City Staff briefing held on April 16
9. Develop Draft Fire Study Analysis
10. Present Draft Fire Study Analysis to City officials on May 15
11. Prepare Fire Department Analysis
12. Present the Fire Department Analysis to the City Council on May 27
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 3
III. Overview of Baseline Fire Service (Risk Demand, Deployment and Response Time)
On May 11, 1955, the Village of Lino Lakes was incorporated. It covered the original Centerville
Township, with the exception of the Village of Centerville and the Village of Circle Pines, and was
comprised of 21,000 acres of land and 1,800 citizens. In 1972, the State Legislature passed a law
changing all Minnesota villages to cities, hence Lino Lakes' current status.
Fire protection in Centerville Township began in the Village of Centerville and in the Village of Circle
Pines. Before 1955, the Township received fire services from Circle Pines in the west and Centerville in
the east. After incorporation of the Village of Lino Lakes, the fire services continued with the Centerville
Fire Department, which covered Centerville and the eastern portion of Lino Lakes; the Circle Pines Fire
Department, which covered Circle Pines; and the Lexington Fire Department, which covered the western
portion of Lino Lakes. The Centennial Fire District was formed in 1985 with a joint powers agreement
between the cities of Centerville, Circle Pines and Lino Lakes. The existing fire departments from Circle
Pines and Centerville were combined into the fire district as a starting point.
The existing stations in Centerville and Circle Pines were used as Centennial stations, and in 1987, a Lino
Lakes station was opened in an existing structure.
In 1990, the fire district began upgrading its equipment and facilities. A new Lino Lakes fire station was
built in 1991, a Centerville fire station/city hall was built in 1992, and a new Circle Pines fire station was
built in 1999. The district’s equipment was also upgraded during this time, with major upgrades including
the following:
1990: Two new rescue units replaced three existing units.
1992: Two new tankers replaced 1956, 1962 and 1969 units. The chassis for these tankers were
purchased with donations.
1993: Two new light rescues were received. One of the light rescues was purchased with
donations.
1994: Three new grass units replaced 1953, 1954 and 1974 units.
1996: A new pumper replaced a 1975 unit.
1997: A new light rescue unit replaced a heavier 1990 unit.
2000: A new pumper with ladder replaced a 1976 pumper. A new six wheel ATV replaced a
1965 tracked unit.
2001: A pumper replaced a 1983 pumper.
The Centennial Fire District (CFD) currently has 60 personnel in three stations, responding to about 1,000
calls for service annually. The 2014 budget is $869,447. The capital costs for buildings are not included
in the CFD budget. The CFD provides service to 29,528 residents based on 2012 population estimates
from the Census Bureau. This equates to a gross cost per resident served of $29.44, while staffing at 2.03
firefighters per thousand population.
Centennial Fire District (CFD)
The Centennial Fire District was created in 1985 as a joint powers agreement of Lino Lakes, Circle Pines,
and Centerville; it superseded the old contracted services agreement between Lino Lakes which had no
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 4
fire department; and Circle Pines and Centerville which had long-established fire departments. The joint
powers agreement was substantially revised in 1990, making several significant changes, including a
funding formula for jurisdictions; a capital equipment fund; a steering committee to oversee governance;
and selection of a career fire chief to administer the department. Under the agreement, each city is
responsible for building its own facilities.
Personnel and Staffing
CFD currently has 60 members, including a career Fire Chief, two Fire Technicians, and one specialist in
recruitment and retention. (The Fire Chief recently resigned and accepted a new position; the CFD is now
in a period of transition at the Chief level.) A copy of the present organizational chart is included in
Appendix A. The Department provides emergency response to fires, medical calls, and specialized
tactical rescue incidents. Additionally the Department has a full spectrum of fire prevention and public
fire safety education services.
CFD operates from three stations located strategically across the service area. Station #1 is located in
Circle Pines at 2 East Road; Station #2 is located in Lino Lakes at 7741 Lake Drive; and Station #3 is
located in Centerville at 1880 Main Street. All stations are 20 to 25 years old with masonry construction.
Each is a 3-bay drive-through design with adequate space for operations. The stations are located in the
northwestern, east, and southwestern areas of the district. Each station contains an engine, rescue, and
grass unit. Additionally, Station #2 has a quint which provides aerial capabilities in addition to engine
function. Stations #2 and #3 each have tankers for water in non-hydranted areas. Station #1 also has a
command/service unit. This resource allocation has equipment evenly distributed among the stations.
The Department apparatus includes:
Station #1 E-11 1,250 gpm pumper
R-11 Ford heavy duty pickup with cover
G-11 Grass unit with 30 gallons of water
U-12 Command/service unit
U-14 Polaris 6x6 ATV
Station #2 A-21 65 foot quint with 1,500 gpm pump
R-21 Ford heavy duty pickup with cover
T-21 1,800 gallon tanker with 250 gpm pump
G-21 4x4 grass unit with 115 gallons of water
Car#1 Ford Explorer Chief’s unit
Station #3 E-31 1250 gpm pumper
R-31 Ford heavy duty pickup with cover
T-31 1,800 gallon tanker with 250 gpm pumper
G-31 4x4 grass unit with 115 gallons of water
Stations and apparatus are in good repair and well maintained. The District has an apparatus replacement
schedule and sets aside capital funds for this need.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 5
Risk, Demand, Deployment
The District is a suburban community with a population density of approximately 800 citizens per square
mile. Most of the jurisdiction is residential area with pockets of commercial development. There are no
large hazardous material generation facilities and manufacturing is mostly light use. The main risk to the
community is the two interstates I-35E and I-35W which run along the eastern and western edges of the
city and the number of lakes and wetland areas. Hazardous material moving by truck presents constant
risk to the community on these two interstates and recreational uses of the lakes do present medical
emergencies and incidents.
Current emergency calls for the district are about 1,000 per year including fire, rescue, and several types
of other emergent calls. From department data it appears that almost 75% of calls are EMS calls which
would equate to about two calls per day. Fires, alarms, good intent, hazardous situations and weather
related calls add less than one (0.8) calls per day.
The only area of deployment which presents concern is the southern part of Lino Lakes, which is
separated by lakes and few direct roads. This area has numerous developments which also contain cul-de-
sacs and dead end streets, which severely impede emergency response. Also the area east on I-35E has
access issues since some locations can only be reached by going several miles out of the way to get across
the interstate.
Population Growth and Development
The District’s population has experienced steady growth over the past 25 years, with most of that growth
occurring in Lino Lakes. The CFD’s total population was approximately 15,250 in the 1990 Census,
growing to 24,900 in the 2000 Census. The population has continued to rise, reaching nearly 29,000 in
the 2010 Census, and over 29,500 in 2012. Forecasts from the Metropolitan Council estimate the
District’s population will be more than 35,000 by 2020 and over 40,000 by 2030.
During this period, Lino Lakes saw the majority share of population growth. The city grew from 8,839 in
the 1990 Census, to 16,985 in 2000, an increase of 92%. The city grew another 19% over the next
decade, reaching a population of 20,263 in the 2010 Census. This rapid growth has meant that Lino
Lakes’ proportion of CFD’s total population has increased. In 1990, Lino Lakes represented 58% of the
District’s population. By 2000, the proportion had risen to 68%. The city currently represents about 70%
of the District’s total population, and will be more than 75% according to the 2030 forecast.
Figure 1 shows the population growth in the Centennial Fire District since 1990, as well as the
Metropolitan Council’s forecasts through 2030.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 6
Figure 1: Actual (solid) and Projected (starred) Population, 1990-2030
Figure 2 shows us the District’s population density (compiled using 2010 United States Census data). The
map shows that Lino Lakes, unlike most other cities (which usually have very homogeneous population
densities), has a large spectrum of population densities ranging from rural to metropolitan.1 The key to
providing good fire service is to make sure that apparatus deployment is tailored to these differences in
population density. Generally, the area west of Interstate 35 is "urban" in nature and well covered by
Station 2 (Lino Lakes station). Southern Lino Lakes is disconnected from the north portion of Lino Lakes
by the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park Reserve which runs through the city. Southern Lino
Lakes has a combination of suburban, urban, and metropolitan areas. The eastern side of southern Lino
Lakes, right on the border with Circle Pines, has an urban population density. The neighborhood around
Birchwood Acres Park is metropolitan, and areas further south and east of this area are suburban.
Suburban population density in southern Lino Lakes stretches all the way east to Centerville Road.
Although these “suburban" areas are, currently, not as populated as neighborhoods in northwest Lino
Lakes, this is expected to change over time with continuing development. The Lino Lakes
Comprehensive Plan forecasts that southern Lino Lakes will eventually be as populated as the northwest.
1 The term "metropolitan" may be a bit misleading, because a population density of 3,000 people per square mile is
not typically thought of as metropolitan, but this is how the National Fire Protection Association defines population
density and makes response time recommendations accordingly.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 7
Figure 2: Population Density, Census 2010
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 8
Incident Type Trends
Figure 3 shows incident type trends over the last four years. In this analysis, we are only looking at
incidents that occurred in Lino Lakes, rather than the entire Centennial Fire District. Ideally, we would
have had more years of data to analyze. This would have given us a more concrete look at incident trends
(more than four data points are desirable for determining trends). However, this figure does provide some
level of insight with regard to emergency services demand and incident type trends. EMS incidents
account for the vast majority of incidents. In 2012, for unknown reasons, there was a relatively large
spike in EMS calls within Lino Lakes.2 In that same year, there was an associated fall in “other” calls. It
may be that some form of reporting issue or change in National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)
coding scheme caused this result. Over the last four years, fire incidents held steady.
Figure 3: Incident Type Trends by Year, 2010-2013
2 This spike was not found when analyzing data for all of the Centennial Fire District.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 9
Geospatial Mapping of Fire and EMS Demand
This section maps out fire and EMS incident densities using GIS software. This allows us to pinpoint
high-demand areas (or hotspots). As opposed to the incident type trend analysis above, which was
limited strictly to calls within Lino Lakes, this hotspot analysis includes data from all CFD incidents.
Figure 4: Fire Incident Density, 2010-2013
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 10
The fire incident density map includes all incidents classified as a fire within the NFIRS database (based
on fire department reports of the incident). This includes structure fires, vehicle fires, and outside fires.
Based on the fire density map, we identified hotspots located in the following areas:
• Area around Town Center Parkway (YMCA, Lino Lakes Assisted Living)
• Area around intersection of Lake Drive and Pine Drive (in Circle Pines)
• Lexington Park Area (in Circle Pines)
• Main Street between 20th Ave N and 21st Ave N (in Centerville)
All of these hotspots are within close reach of a current fire station. In terms of fire density specifically in
Lino Lakes, the area around Town Center Parkway is the only significant fire hotspot. The rest of the
hotspots are found outside the of the Lino Lakes city limits, in either Circle Pines or Centerville.
EMS incident density, as shown in Figure 5 on the following page, is typically very closely related to
both fire density and population density. The EMS density map shows that EMS hotspots exist in all of
the locations where fire hotspots were found, but that the EMS hotspots are all slightly larger in size. It is
apparent that high EMS density extends all along Interstate 35 from Station 1 (Circle Pines) all the way to
Station 2 (Lino Lakes). In addition, there are some EMS hotspots in areas where there are higher
population densities. The population density map shown earlier showed a significant population density
in the neighborhood around Birchwood Acres Park. We expected to find and did find high EMS demand
in this area. Using the EMS incident density map, we identified the following EMS hotspot areas:
• Interstate 35 from Station 1 to Station 2
• Neighborhood around Birchwood Acres Park
• Main Street between 20th Ave N and 21st Ave N (Centerville)
The only hotspot not easily reachable from a CFD fire station is the southern portion of Lino Lakes. There
is a significant EMS hotspot in the area around Birchwood Acres Park and smaller hotspots along Birch
Street going east.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 11
Figure 5: EMS Incident Density, 2010-2013
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 12
Total Response Time Analysis
Although we wanted to evaluate all of the response time segments for this study (call-processing, turnout,
travel, and total response time), data limitations meant that we were only able to analyze total response
time. Total response (or reflex time) is the most important time segment, because it combines all of the
individual time segments and is one of the primary measures by which the public evaluates the
effectiveness of fire and EMS service.
The NFPA describes total response time as including three phases: “Phase One – Alarm Handling Time;
Phase Two – Turnout Time and Travel Time; and Phase Three – Initiating Action/Intervention Time.”
According to NFPA 1720, rural areas should have a total response time (dispatch to unit arrival) of less
than 14 minutes, the suburban areas less than 10 minutes, and the urban and metropolitan areas less than 9
minutes. Because Lino Lakes has areas that fall into different population density classifications, and thus
have different NFPA 1720 response time standards, it would have been ideal to analyze response times by
the different planning areas. This would allow us to judge how well different parts of Lino Lakes are
meeting the NFPA 1720 standard. At the moment, we do not have the necessary planning area shapefile
to do this analysis, but can update this analysis if this shapefile is provided. A shapefile is a popular
geospatial vector data format for geographic information system (GIS) software.
Figure 6 shows the total response time for the first-arriving unit by hour of the day, and Table 1 shows the
total response time for the first-arriving unit by incident type. The total response time for EMS incidents
was 10:07, which is excellent for rural responses, acceptable for urban and suburban responses, and sub-
par for metropolitan responses. Fire and special-operations incidents had a slightly slower response time
of 11:00, which is acceptable for rural responses, but on the slow side for areas of higher population
density. Again, this analysis could be more targeted to different areas of the city if a planning area
shapefile is provided.
Figure 6. Total Response Time (First-Arriving Unit) by Hour of the Day, 2010-2013
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 13
Table 1. Total Response Time (First-Arriving Unit) by Incident Type, 2010-2013
Station Location Analysis
In this section, we present an analysis of fire station locations using Geographic Information System
(GIS) software (ArcGIS 10).
Figure 7 shows the theoretical travel time from the three current CFD fire stations. Areas in dark green
can theoretically be reached in six minutes; light green areas in nine minutes; and areas in gray can be
reached in 14 minutes. According to NFPA 1720, rural areas should have a total response time (dispatch
to unit arrival) of less than 14 minutes, the suburban areas less than 10 minutes, and the urban and
metropolitan areas less than 9 minutes. Assuming four minutes for volunteers to respond to the station
and turnout, travel times should be around 10, 6, and 5-minutes for rural, suburban, and urban areas
respectively.
Metropolitan Areas – The metropolitan area in southeast Lino Lakes is not adequately covered from the
Circle Pines station within the necessary 5-minute travel time. Travel times are likely closer to 7 minutes
for this area.
Urban Areas – Most of the urban northwest is appropriately covered with a 5-minute drive time. There is
a very small area in the very northwest that may take a little longer to reach, but the standard allows 20
percent of calls to exceed the response time standard. Because most of the areas of highest demand in
northwest Lino Lakes are near Station 1, Lino Lakes likely is meeting the NFPA 1720 standard for this
part of the city. There is also another “urban” area in the very southwest portion of Lino Lakes. This area
is adequately covered from the Circle Pines station.
Suburban Areas – Particularly problematic is the southern suburban area within Lino Lakes. Although a
6-minute travel time (assuming a 4-minute turnout time) is recommended by NFPA 1720 for this area
based on population density, it is clear that this travel time cannot be achieved with the current fire station
configuration. Travel times to this area are shown in gray, indicating travel times of 9 to 14 minutes can
be expected.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 14
Figure 7: Drive Time from Current CFD Station Layout
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 15
Figure 8 shows travel time from only the Lino Lakes station. This map shows that, without building a
southern Lino Lakes station or continuing to receive responses from the Circle Pines station, there is
almost no coverage for southern Lino Lakes. A single Lino Lakes station serving the whole city would
provide significantly less coverage than the current Centennial Fire District status quo.
Figure 8: Drive Time from Lino Lakes Station Only
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 16
IV. Identify Different Options and Models for Organizing a Fire Department
In January of 2014, the City of Lino Lakes withdrew from the Centennial Fire District. The details of the
withdrawal process are a work in progress and include a two-year transition timeline.
It is important to note in this analysis that regardless of the option selected by the City, fire service is
becoming more and more collaborative and Lino Lakes will want to partner with other fire service
agencies to provide successful fire service to the community. In our analysis, we believe there are six
distinct options for providing fire service to the Lino Lakes community. They are, in no particular order:
1. Stay with current Fire Protection District
2. Create a new Lino Lakes Fire Department
3. Contract for fire service with another department(s)
4. Establish a new district with additional jurisdictions
5. New city department but contract services with Centerville and Circle Pines
6. Create a Public Safety Department combining Police and Fire functions
In practice, organizational leaders design or redesign their organizational structure to increase
coordination and integration of services, to combine similar functions, and/or to alter the present span of
control environment. Cost savings can be an important outcome, but should not be the sole determinant
or consideration. It is also very important to note that in some instances, there may be an up-front
investment of resources required to create or change a structure; this is clearly the case with starting a new
fire department. Each of these considerations – and more – should be included in any deliberations on the
structure of a department or an organization.
Previous experiences in reorganization efforts have identified five specific rationales for when
reorganization may be a positive outcome:
• To improve integration and coordination of work in units that share functional areas.
• To rectify situations where span of control is spread too thin and not efficient.
• To provide focus on organizational and strategic issues.
• To repair existing structures which do not meet current expectations, standards or trends.
• To enhance the level of organizational consistency in policy, operations and culture.
Similarly, we identify five pitfalls to avoid in a potential reorganization:
• Reorganizing around current personalities.
• Reorganizing out of convenience, as opposed to logic and anticipated outcomes.
• Reorganizing around historical conflicts or problems.
• Reorganizing to consolidate control and power (or to take it away).
• Reorganizing believing that restructuring by itself will fix all organizational issues.
Catalysts to changing structures often come in several forms: a change in personnel (generally when a top
administrator leaves or retires); a facility/space change (a new or renovated building); a change in policy
from the City Council; and/or a change in client service philosophy (a city seeks to gain efficiencies
through integration and improved client coordination and access to services). It is not uncommon for
local governments to have several motivations at work at the same time.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 17
Option 1 – Stay with current Fire Protection District
This option is certainly the simplest and at the same time the most difficult option for Lino Lakes. The
current District governing system is a 25-year-old document designed when individual community
demographics and populations were similar. Today, Lino Lakes is 70% of the district’s population and
growing, while Centerville and Circle Pines are mostly built out. This means the disparity will keep
growing and more of the service deliveries and fire safety issues will happen in Lino Lakes.
Currently, the joint power agreement has the Steering Committee as the main administrative body of the
district, providing each jurisdiction with an equal representation and thus equal vote in policy matters of
the district. This process has been unchanged since 1990, while the district has grown and matured for a
quarter of a century.
In discussions with officials from all three cities, it was the consensus that it is time to open up the entire
Joint Powers Agreement and build something which will work for today and the next 20 years. Not only
should representation and voting be reworked, but the funding formula, human resources, accounting
processes, and departmental operational guidelines should be updated and reviewed regularly to keep
current with District and member city goals and objectives.
The Springsted team believes that the current Centennial Fire District can be improved and could work
for years to come, but today it appears that this will require the use of a very experienced dispute
resolution professional to get to the root of many issues and find, if not common ground, ways to build
consensus. This process will likely require several joint jurisdictional sessions as well as individual
meetings between the resolution specialist and each city. Also, once revised and approved the document
should be opened and discussed at least every other year to identify areas of concern and address the
issues before they become problems.
An important point of consideration is that if the CFD joint powers agreement were amended and
updated, it would remain a priority to build a fourth station in the southern part of Lino Lakes to provide
emergency services at benchmark standards to the citizens of this area. Additional capital equipment
would also be needed to provide the additional service.
Option 2 – Create a new Lino Lakes Fire Department (LLFD)
Creating a new Lino Lakes Fire Department is a policy option of the City Council. The new department
would already have the fire station at 7741 Lake Drive, as well as apparatus and equipment from the
distribution of CFD assets. Additionally, it is likely that some of the current volunteer firefighters who
reside in Lino Lakes would join the new organization. However, the City will have start-up costs to begin
its own fire department.
As is well understood and documented in this analysis, the new LLFD would need at least one new
station to cover the southern area of the jurisdiction (see Section V below). Additionally, there would be
fire apparatus and major firefighting equipment to be purchased (see Section VI below). Finally, subject
to the dissolution process, it is very likely that additional firefighters would need to be recruited, trained,
and certified to bring staffing up to levels adequate to deliver emergency services per national standards
and public safety expectations.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 18
Some of the major steps that need to be undertaken if the City pursues its own fire department include:
• Determine what equipment and assets are transferable from the CFD
• Determine need for and location of new station in the south portion of the City
• Adopt an organizational concept for the Department structure
• Develop a job description for the Fire Chief (or appropriately titled head of the fire service)
• Recruit and hire the head of the fire service
• Determine which CFD personnel will transfer to the new City Department
• Develop a recruitment and retention plan
• Develop standard operating guidelines (SOGs) and policies to operate a fire department
• Reach out to neighboring jurisdictions to explore collaborations and mutual aid
In addition to the process to design, implement and administer a new fire department, the city
administration and related support departments (finance, human resources, facilities, information
technology) would also need to plan for increases in their work load and responsibilities. We encourage
the City Council and administrative departments to explore the ongoing maintenance and support
requirements that come with a fire department. These may or may not be onerous, but they will be new,
and it is important that the tangible and intangible effects of adding a new department to the city are
understood. This includes the commitment the City Council would be taking on with its responsibilities
for a fire service, as this would be totally new within the framework of Lino Lakes City Hall.
Option 3 – Contract for fire services with another fire department(s)
Another logical option would be to return to what was used 30 years ago, and contract with outside
jurisdictions for fire services. This plan would mean Lino Lakes simply pays an annual fee to receive a
specific level of emergency services from neighboring jurisdictions. The key to such contracting
arrangements is to be sure the services received meet or exceed current standards. This means the
contracts must specify response requirements and have a way to measure and assure that standards are
being met.
Without a detailed analysis, it appears that Lino Lakes would need to use three outside jurisdictions to get
the resources needed for an adequate level of response. These would include Lake Johanna for coverage
of southern areas; Hugo for eastern areas; and Blaine for northern and western areas. The northernmost
area of Lino Lakes may also need to be evaluated for a possible 4th responder. Use of NFPA 1720
standards would serve as a basis to assure adequate coverage. This option would give Lino Lakes
adequate fire/EMS coverage, but would mean minimal local control of operations, since the City would
be contracting to use other jurisdictions’ resources and personnel.
Option 4 – Establish a new District with additional jurisdictions
Today, with more challenging emergency incident mitigation and the ever-growing costs of firefighting
resources, more areas are developing larger fire protection districts to address these needs. The days of a
single city being able to handle its entire emergency services requirements are gone. Even the state’s
largest municipalities like Minneapolis and St Paul have turned to tiered response with outside agencies.
A new fire protection district involving communities such as Lino Lakes, Circle Pines, Centerville, and
Blaine, Lake Johanna, Hugo, and White Bear Lake may be a long term future possibility. Such a
partnership would bring together enough resources to handle nearly any call, as well as resources to move
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 19
up and cover the cities while resources are committed to the call. Such systems use an automatic box
alarm or pre-designated set of fire apparatus to design a predetermined response of up to seven alarms for
use by dispatch personnel to get the resources on the way quickly and efficiently. Box alarm systems are
becoming a best practice for collaboration with other departments.
Table 2, on the following page, shows the box alarm system used by Chanhassen Fire Department,
cooperating with over a dozen neighboring jurisdictions to address their individual and shared needs.
Some of the responses are automatic aid and some are mutual aid. The bottom line is that this system
provides enough resources to an incident to safely resolve the incident, while reserve resources provide
backup so that each participant is covered for additional calls. The Chanhassen area is much more
densely populated and has many large industrial risks, so this example is larger than that needed by Lino
Lakes, but the process is similar.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 20
Table 2. Chanhassen Fire Box Alarm System
Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 (Planned)
All Call*Chanhassen Chanhassen Chanhassen
Utilities
EMS***Ridgeview Ridgeview Ridgeview
Eden Prairie Eden Prairie Eden Prairie
Engine Excelsior Excelsior Chaska**Tender 1 Victoria
Engine Minnetonka Minnetonka Shapkopee**Tender 2 Carver
Ladder Eden Prairie Eden Prairie Eden Prairie Tender 3 Colgne
Patching
Air Truck Minnetonka Minnetonka Minnetonka Tender 4 Waconia
Engine Chaska Chaska Excelsior Tender 5 Prior Lake
Engine Victoria Victoria Victoria Tender 6 Chaska
Ladder Minnetonka Minnetonka Minnetonka Tender 7 Shapkopee
Mutual Aid Chiefs Hopkins/Edina Hopkins/Edina Hopkins/Edina Tender 8 St Boni
LSU Rehab Excelsior/SW Metro Bus Excelsior/SW Metro Bus Excelsior/SW Metro Bus Tender 9 Mound
Engine Edina Edina Edina
Engine Hopkins Hopkins Hopkins
Ladder Chaska Chaska Chaska
Mutual Aid Chiefs Bloomington/SLP Bloomington/SLP Bloomington/SLP
Command Van SLP SLP SLP
Air Truck Bloomington Bloomington Bloomington
Engine Carver Carver Carver
Engine Bloomington Bloomington Bloomington
Ladder Shapkopee Shapkopee Shapkopee
LSU Rehab Eden Prairie/Gold. Val. Eden Prairie/Gold. Val. Eden Prairie/Gold. Val.
Engine Victoria Victoria Victoria
Engine Wayzata Wayzata Colgne
Engine SLP SLP SLP
Engine Waconia Waconia Waconia
Engine Mound Mound Mound
Engine Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth
Engine Colgne Colgne Wayzata
Engine Richfield Richfield Jordan
Engine St Boni St Boni Savage
Engine Long Lake Long Lake Prior Lake
*IC initiates all call via 3rd page once structure fire is confirmed.
** For areas with no hydrants, the normal box assignments apply. Request "Pumper/Tankers from Chaska/Shakopee in lieu of engines on the 1st Alarm.
**Tenders (Tankers) are requested as needed in order.
Stand by coverage beyond the call should be filled with the initial alarm once confirmed.
***EMS resource to be dedicated to reponder health & Safety.
Request Disaptch to set up patch for MA Depts that do not have Carver County Fireground Tactical Channels
N/A
Excel/Centerpoint/MN Valley CoopInitial
Alarm
*Confirmed Structure Fire - Request Carver County Fireground Tactical Channel & 3rd Page for Manpower
2nd
Alarm
3rd
Alarm
4th
Alarm
5th
Alarm
6th
Alarm
N/A
N/A
N/A
All Structure Fires - Box Alarm Assignment Grid
Lyman & South
No Hydrants
Chanhassen
Various, mostly south of
Pioneer Trail**
N/A
Stand By Engine Company @ CFD #1 N/A
North of Lyman &
East of Galpin West of Galpin
Response Area
Map
1st
Alarm
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 21
Option 5 – New city department and contract for services with Centerville and Circle Pines
This option is actually the reverse of the City’s past fire service experience, where Lino Lakes started out
using contracted services from Centerville and Circle Pines to provide fire coverage to the newly formed
city. This option would mean that Lino Lakes would be the service provider, and Centerville and Circle
Pines would pay an annual, contracted fee for their fire services.
This option would provide Lino Lakes with total control of the fire department and all the elements of
operation and administration. LLFD would need to provide a prescribed level of service, and document
these service measures on a pre-determined basis. This option is very straightforward, but would involve
the support and partnership with the other two cities to proceed.
Option 6 – Create a Public Safety Department combining Police and Fire functions
This option shares similarities with Option 2, in that it involves bringing the functions of a Fire
Department into the governance structure of Lino Lakes. This option differs from the earlier one in that it
combines fire and law enforcement functions into an integrated Public Safety Department.
The concept of combined Public Safety Departments became popular in the 1970s. The idea at the time
was to professionalize paid-on-call fire operations at a time when full-time, paid fire professionals were
limited to large cities. Today, many communities in the metropolitan area have a professional chief, a
limited paid support staff (fire marshal, inspector, or office support), and paid on-call fire fighters.
Several reasons exist to explore a combined police and fire department model:
• Eliminate silos between public safety departments
• Improve communication
• Enhance coordination
• Explore cross-training and possible work-load sharing
• Improve services
It is important to note that the City is evaluating a combined command structure in administration, and
not a completely blended fire and police service. While each is an essential emergency service, law
enforcement and fire fighting are two distinct disciplines; complete integration of the functions, where
staff is trained and expected to perform both sets of duties, is a rare occurrence. Each department also
provides services apart from just police protection or fire suppression – education, inspection, prevention,
emergency medical assistance, and recruitment.
Cities that use a combined model include Woodbury, New Brighton and Mankato. Minnetonka,
Richfield, Burnsville and Golden Valley all adopted a combined model, but have subsequently returned to
the traditional model of separate police and fire departments. One of the main reasons cited by
communities going back to the traditional model is sense of a loss of identity by one or both of the
services; this may not be in the case in Lino Lakes, as the fire service would be a new organization, and
would not yet have an established identity. There are integration and cultural issues that need attention as
the Deputy Directors, as they are often titled, feel they are running the day-to-day operations of the police
division or fire division without the top title or salary.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 22
In practice, Public Safety Directors almost always come from the ranks of the police department. One
frequently heard complaint is that fire fighters and their department’s needs are not always well
understood if the Director does not share a background in firefighting. New Brighton noted that the
combined model works well for them in large part because their Fire Services Director was both a police
officer and a volunteer fire fighter, which is an unusual case. In Woodbury, many members of the
department are officer/paramedics or officer/firefighters.
Figure 9 is a conceptual organizational structure for a Lino Lakes Public Safety Department. This
conceptual organization has two career deputy directors reporting to the Director of Public Safety, but the
police and fire departments would remain as separate branches. Financially, the budget would be
separated into fire and police divisions, except where individuals work in both divisions; these positions
would be allocated by the proportion of time spent in each division. Primarily, the weekday daytime
response would be with paid-on-call personnel instead of career fire personnel as it is now. The career
staff of LLFD would be the Deputy Director and a Training/Fire Prevention Specialist. Each station
would have 21 paid on call personnel, including a Deputy Chief, a Lieutenant, and 19 firefighters.
This option would need significant follow-up work, to establish budgets, new job descriptions, response
assignments, the timing and extent of new hiring, and many other specific components critical to the
operation of a public safety department. This plan gives the City Council one conceptual idea of how to
combine the two departments if it should choose to do so.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 23
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 24
V. Evaluate Adding One Facility with a Preliminary Location on Birch Street
Adding a new station in southern Lino Lakes will be essential to get response times into compliance with
NFPA standards, regardless of which service delivery model the City chooses. This is a growing area of
the city, and call volumes to this area will only increase as development continues. Plans should move
forward as soon as practical to locate, design, build and fund this station.
Establishing a new station in southern Lino Lakes will involve site identification and possibly acquisition,
architectural planning, construction, and ongoing maintenance. A double deep, three-bay satellite station
can vary in size from 6,500 square feet to 7,100 square feet, depending on the size and nature of vehicles
and amenities to be included at the facility, such as storage, showers, locker rooms, and office or meeting
space. Costs for fire stations of this size in Minnesota average approximately $195.00 per square foot for
construction, with another 25% required for administrative costs (A/E fees, legal, bidding), or $243.75 per
square foot. Budgeting for a new facility may range from approximately $1,500,000 to $1,750,000. This
does not include land acquisition or site readiness. Costs referenced above are from national building
construction reference sources including RS Means, Engineering News Record, and local Minnesota
design experts.
The design of a fire station often takes into consideration other variables such as public meeting space,
city administration needs and other non-fire related facility factors. These considerations would need to
be explored in the planning and design phase of the process.
Recommended Lino Lakes Birch Street Station
The Lino Lakes Comprehensive Plan calls for a continuing build out of southern Lino Lakes. This
portion of the city already has sub-par emergency service coverage for its current population density.
This issue will be exacerbated as population density in this area increases. The demand analysis also
showed that southern Lino Lakes is considered an EMS hotspot. As a result of Lino Lakes’ desire to
provide better coverage for its southern areas, the city has considered building a new fire station on Birch
Street.
Figure 10 shows how an additional fire station centrally located near the curve on Birch Street would
impact fire coverage in those scenarios where Lino Lakes operates just those stations within its city limits.
From the map, it becomes apparent that this additional fire station would close the coverage gap in
southern Lino Lakes, and provide a more appropriate level of fire and EMS service to citizens in this area.
Figure 11 shows how an additional Birch Street fire station would add to the coverage provided by the
current CFD stations. The additional station serves to close the coverage gap in southern Lino Lakes that
was illustrated earlier in Figure 7 and Figure 8.
Regardless of whether Lino Lakes decides to continue working with its CFD partners, this new fire
station will be necessary if the city is to improve the level of service to residents in the southern area of
the city.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 25
Figure 10: Drive time from Current and Proposed Lino Lakes Stations
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 26
Figure 11: Drive Time from Current CFD Stations and Proposed Birch Street Station
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 27
VI. Develop a List of Essential Requirements to Begin a New Fire Department
In addition to the policy issues and start-up considerations, the two primary aspects of establishing a new
Lino Lakes Fire Department would be personnel and equipment. To properly set these benchmarks in an
objective and standardized manner, this report will use NFPA 1720 standards, NFPA Fire Protection
Handbook 18th edition, OSHA 29CFR1910.134, and Insurance Services Office (ISO) Fire Protection
Ratings.
National Standards for Fire Suppression
The most widely recognized standard used in response time analysis for volunteer fire departments is
outlined in NFPA 1720 – Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency
Medical Operations and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments. NFPA 1720
was updated in 2004, and addresses benchmarks to be used by volunteer organizations in the delivery of
their services, including specific recommendations regarding staffing and response times.
Table 3 provides an overview of these recommendations and metrics.
Table 3: NFPA 1720 - Staffing and Response Time Standards (Benchmarks)
Demand
Zone Demographics Staffing/
Response Times
Percentage of
Calls
Special Risks Authority Having Jurisdiction
()
AHJ 90%
Urban >1000 people/mi 15 within 9 min. 90%
Suburban 500-1000 people/mi 10 within 10 min. 80%
Rural <500 people/mi 6 within 14 min. 80%
Remote* Travel distance 8 mi. 4 90%
* Upon assembling the necessary resources at the emergency scene, the fire department should have the capability
to safely commence an initial attack within 2 minutes 90 percent of the time. Source: NFPA 1720, 2004 Edition.
The City of Lino Lakes, with 33.21 square miles of area and a population of 20,746, has a jurisdictional
population density of 625 people per square mile. This population density puts Lino Lakes in the
“suburban” demand zone classification, which recommends an initial response of 10 personnel
responding to fire calls within 10 minutes, 80% of the time. There are also parts of the response area
which have urban, rural, and remote population densities. The response analysis is included in the risk,
demand, and deployment section of this report. Additionally, the National Fire Protection Handbook,
18th edition makes staffing and initial response complement recommendations based on the number of
firefighters and apparatus arriving on the scene of a fire, depending upon the risk of occupancy (low,
medium, and high-hazard occupancy). The NFPA staffing recommendations by the type of hazard areas
are as follows:
High-Hazard Occupancies (schools, hospitals, nursing homes, explosive plants, refineries, high-rise
buildings, and other high-risk or large fire potential occupancies): at least 4 pumpers, 2 ladder trucks
(or combination apparatus with equivalent capabilities), 2 chief officers, and other specialized
apparatus as may be needed to cope with the combustible involved; not fewer than 23 firefighters and
2 chief officers.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 28
Medium-Hazard Occupancies (apartments, offices, mercantile and industrial occupancies not
normally requiring extensive rescue or firefighting forces): at least 3 pumpers, 1 ladder truck (or
combination apparatus with equivalent capabilities), 1 chief officer, and other specialized apparatus
as may be needed or available; not fewer than 16 firefighters and 1 chief officer.
Low-Hazard Occupancies (one-, two-, or three-family dwellings and scattered small businesses and
industrial occupancies): at least 2 pumpers, 1 ladder truck (or combination apparatus with
equivalent capabilities), 1 chief officer, and other specialized apparatus are recommended to be
available; not fewer than 12 firefighters and 1 chief officer.
The Department should have the personnel and equipment resources to meet NFPA 1720 response
capabilities for low and medium hazard occupancies. High-hazard occupancies would require additional
outside equipment resources and likely personnel on the initial assignment. The Department’s use of box
alarm assignments would address this high hazard need.
The recommendations and guidelines outlined in the NFPA Handbook merit consideration, but are not
necessarily the final word, as the NFPA guidelines do not address how fire departments will also be able
to comply with the OSHA-mandated “two-in/two-out” rule (discussed below). Also, the NFPA guidelines
do not address OSHA’s requirement that a rapid intervention team (RIT) be on-scene at a working fire.
OSHA Regulations
Additional mandated requirements for staffing are related to OSHA’s regulations for firefighter safety.
To protect the safety of firefighters, the United States Department of Labor and OSHA have enacted
29CFR1910.134, known as the two-in/two-out rule that requires four personnel on scene at all structure
fires before initial interior attack begins.
Firefighting is a dangerous and physical labor-intensive profession. Although technologically the tools
and equipment used by firefighters have changed dramatically over the years, the basic goals have
remained almost unchanged: to preserve life and protect property by successfully extinguishing fires—
and not get hurt in the process. To accomplish this, firefighters must be able to quickly and efficiently
gain access to a fire and apply an extinguishing agent (typically water, but foam and other agents are
gaining in popularity). This requires emergency responders to operate in dangerous environments where
they are at high risk for serious injury or death.
To protect the health, safety, and welfare of firefighters, the federal government enacted regulations to
ensure that firefighters operate safely in and around structure fires. Enacted by the Department of Labor
and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 29 CFR 1910.134, also known as “Two-
in/Two-out,” mandates that there must be a minimum of four personnel on the scene of a structural fire
before personnel can initiate interior operations. Two firefighters must remain on the exterior of the
structure, properly equipped with full turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to act
as a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) in the event the firefighters operating inside the structure become
incapacitated or trapped. Although OSHA allows one RIT member to have an additional role such as
incident commander or safety officer, as long as rescue activities can be performed without jeopardizing
the safety of other firefighters, a pump operator cannot make up part of the RIT unless the apparatus
utilizes a positive water source, which allows the pump to be unstaffed for a period.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 29
Insurance Services Office (ISO)
Insurance Services Office (ISO) community fire protection ratings have been a benchmark for
jurisdictions for decades. The system measures the effectiveness and efficiency of three key parts of
community fire protection; fire department, water distribution, and alarm notification system. However
there are two key limitations of this benchmark. First is that the evaluation is only used by some
insurance companies, with most large insurers doing their own risk assessment by individual occupancy.
Second is the fact that residential insurance rates for participating insurers are banded for class #2 through
class #8 communities. This means that the premium for insurance to homeowners is the same for these
communities. The only occupancy type which has separate rates for each class number (#) is commercial
occupancies where the needed fire flow is below 3,500 gallons per minute (gpm) for suppression. The
bottom line is that ISO ratings are a good benchmark for suppression activities of a community but do not
evaluate the key areas of prevention, code enforcement, and planning and zoning which are the proactive
functions of community fire defense planning.
When determining how to staff, equip and support a fire department the City does have options. At the
same time, it is important for the City Council to fully understand what the standards and benchmarks are
for this business. It is fair to anticipate and expect that the residents and businesses who are receiving the
CFD’s services today will want, at minimal, the same level of service from the City.
Lino Lakes Fire Department Equipment Needs
Pursuant to NFPA #1720 and Fire Protection Handbook, apparatus needs for the new Department
(including Station #2 and the proposed Birch Street station) would include:
• 2 engines – 1,500 gpm with 500 gallon water
• 1 Aerial ladder – 100 foot
• 2 tankers – 2,000 gallon with onboard pump
• 2 light rescue vehicles
• 2 grass/brush attack units
• 1 boat with rescue capability
• 1 ATV with rescue capability
Some of this apparatus could come from liquidation of current CFD resources, but there will also be some
which must be purchased. The cost for this apparatus purchasing could range from $1.5 million to over
$3 million. Additionally, there will be personal protective equipment to buy; turnout gear currently costs
about $2,500 per set, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) are at least $3,000 per unit, and
uniforms, pagers, etc. will have to be provided to all personnel. The total cost for this personal equipment
could range from $4,000 to $6,000 per firefighter; again, some of this will come from the distribution of
the CFD assets and equipment.
Preliminary Cost Assessment
Startup costs for a new fire department in Lino Lakes would consist of the capital costs for construction of
the new station and purchase of apparatus, in addition to the costs of recruiting, training, and outfitting
new personnel. Assuming that the city builds a 7,100 square foot facility at an average cost of $195 per
square foot and soft costs of 25%, the total construction cost would be approximately $1.73 million.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 30
Land acquisition would be an estimated $120,000 for a four-acre area. For illustrative purposes, if this
construction were financed over 20 years at 3.5%, debt service costs would be $130,212 per year.
Once the structure is complete, the department will require apparatus to fill it. While some of this will
likely come from CFD’s existing inventory, the department will still need to make some investment in
new apparatus. At the current time, the allocation of CFD assets has not yet been finalized; therefore, our
projections must err on the side of assuming that the department will need to purchase most of the
apparatus required for providing service. As noted previously, initial estimates for apparatus needs range
from $1.5 million to over $3.0 million; assuming that the investment for apparatus amounted to $2.5
million, financed over 15 years at 3.25%, the debt service for new apparatus would be $213,221 annually.
Additionally, the department will need to recruit and train volunteers for the new force. To maintain its
current level of service, we estimate that the new department will require 42 personnel. The proposed
structure would include a Career Fire Chief and Career Fire Marshal/Training Officer, and 40 paid-on-
call personnel to include a Captain, a Lieutenant, and 18 firefighters at each station. The exact titles are
subject to further discussion; this model was shown in the organization chart under Option 6 above.
The cost of training a new recruit to become a certified firefighter would include not only the cost of
classes, but also the cost of firefighter time in this mandatory training. This cost would be in the range of
$3,000 to $5,000 per recruit. If we use the low end estimated cost of $3,000, then 40 new recruits would
result in $120,000 in training costs. The new force will also require turnout gear, as noted in the previous
section. At $6,000 per set, the purchase of 40 sets of gear would represent an estimated cost of $240,000.
These costs represent something of a worst-case scenario, in that they assume that no personnel or
equipment would be coming from current CFD resources. We do not know what the transition will result
in, so we are taking a conservative approach in our cost estimating.
In addition to the startup costs related to the new station and the new force, there would be the regular
operational expenses associated with running two stations. Based on CFD’s 2014 budget, and working
from the assumption that the new station would see operating expenses roughly equivalent to those of the
current station, we estimate that annual operating costs would be approximately $590,000 annually. A
snapshot of projected revenues and expenses is shown in Table 4. If the City chooses to move forward
with one or more of the options, we recommend that city officials refine the assumptions in Table 4 more
thoroughly, and revisit them regularly as the project proceeds.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 31
Table 4: Potential costs and revenue requirements of new fire department
The costs related to construction and operations at the new station will require revenues in excess of the
city’s current annual contribution to CFD, which is budgeted at $592,963. We estimate that capital and
startup costs will require an additional $699,000 in revenue for the department. In subsequent years, this
amount would drop to $353,500, rising gradually with inflation. Figure 12 shows a projection of the
contributions required by the city over the next ten years.
To emphasize, the costs involved in constructing and equipping a new fire station will be necessary
regardless of which option the City chooses for providing fire service to the community, if the southern
area of Lino Lakes is to receive a suitable level of service. Our cost projections for operations, apparatus,
training, and turnout gear are likely to be high as we have no clear basis on which to make assumptions
about the exact number and amount of personnel and equipment from the CFD that will be available to
the new department. As more detailed cost estimates become available and as you develop the budget
details we advise and recommend that you refine the preliminary cost projections on an ongoing basis.
REVENUES 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Current Contract 592,963 592,963 592,963 592,963 592,963
Additional Levy 698,808 353,517 368,593 384,046 399,885
State Grants/Reimbursements 10,000 10,250 10,506 10,769 11,038
Charges for services 27,100 27,778 28,472 29,184 29,913
Miscellaneous 275 282 289 296 304
TOTAL REVENUES 1,329,146 984,789 1,000,823 1,017,258 1,034,103
OPERATING EXPENSES
Personnel
Salaries 310,869 318,640 326,606 334,771 343,141
Payroll Taxes 32,900 33,723 34,566 35,430 36,315
Payroll Benefits (Insurance)25,900 26,548 27,211 27,891 28,589
Work Comp 23,100 23,678 24,269 24,876 25,498
Fire Relief Pension 17,850 18,296 18,754 19,222 19,703
Supplies 47,495 48,682 49,899 51,147 52,426
Contracted Services 77,659 79,601 81,591 83,630 85,721
Maintenance 54,740 56,109 57,511 58,949 60,423
TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES 590,513 605,276 620,408 635,918 651,816
TOTAL OPERATING INCOME 738,633 379,513 380,415 381,340 382,288
STARTUP COSTS
Training for new recruits 120,000 - - - -
Personal protective equipment 240,000 - - - -
TOTAL STARTUP COSTS 360,000 - - - -
CAPITAL COSTS
Debt service - new station 130,212 130,212 130,212 130,212 130,212
Debt service - new apparatus 213,221 213,221 213,221 213,221 213,221
Personal equipment replacement 25,200 25,830 26,476 27,138 27,816
Other fire equipment replacement 10,000 10,250 10,506 10,769 11,038
TOTAL CAPITAL 378,633 379,513 380,415 381,340 382,288
REVENUE OVER/(UNDER) EXPENSE - - - - -
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 32
Figure 12: Projected Revenue Requirements of New Department
Volunteer Recruitment and Retention
Without doubt one of the most significant challenges the City will face is in the recruitment and retention
of volunteer fire fighters. Just within the past few weeks several newspaper stories have appeared in the
Twin Cities papers outlining the challenges city governments and fire departments are having in
recruiting paid on call personnel. Fire Chiefs across the state recognize the challenges of hiring and
retaining new recruits, as the Inver Grove Heights Fire Chief stated, “It’s a huge commitment to be a paid
on call firefighter.” Since 1985, the number of volunteer firefighters in the United States has declined by
25%, while the number of emergency calls increase each year. To address this national trend,
jurisdictions must have a well-planned and high-functioning recruitment and retention program.
Recruitment – Recruiting citizens to become volunteer fire/rescue responders can be a daunting task if
not approached in a systematic manner. This systematic approach begins with identifying the most likely
demographic groups where potential volunteers may be included. This will be an important discussion
for the City and we encourage you to begin that conversation immediately. Across the country there are
three emerging groups of volunteer firefighters: mothers that stay at home; college students; and empty
nesters. These three groups of potential candidates are generally found in most suburban communities
and Lino Lakes should explore the possibility of recruiting from these three sources. Motivating citizens
to join a Fire Department is one of the largest challenges facing volunteer fire service throughout the
country. It is important to find out how many of the current CFD volunteers will move to the new Lino
Lakes Fire Department and then all city leaders should begin a strong and centralized recruitment effort.
The future viability of a volunteer force is at stake, and should be the focus of future recruitment efforts.
This will mean looking for future members in citizen groups either under-represented or not represented
in the current department roster.
As an example of one method worth considering, a very successful volunteer recruitment program in
Virginia is recruiting over 300 new members annually. Their program begins using a page on the
jurisdiction’s website, a Facebook account, and a toll-free phone number. (Social media is certainly one
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 33
tool that should be used in your recruitment efforts.) All interested persons are immediately contacted by
a volunteer recruiter from the fire/rescue department (within 24 hours). An appointment is set up and
each candidate gets a briefing on the potential job, a scheduled ride along is arranged and an application is
filled out. The key is to keep candidate interest high, and identify how best to use the talents of new
members so they stay motivated and involved. LLFD can certainly use this coordinated system to
increase volunteer opportunities.
Retention – While people join volunteer fire/rescue departments for many reasons, retention issues boil
down to two distinct reasons: problems that arise in one’s life and factors relating to the individual fire
department or the fire service itself. To retain new and current members, volunteer departments must
display four essential characteristics that address these two root problems with volunteer retention:
• The program must meet the individual’s needs
• The program must provide its membership with reward and recognition
• The program must provide adequate supervision and leadership
• The program must challenge its members
Any recruitment or retention programs to be considered must take into account the four aforementioned
characteristics that must be present in a quality fire/rescue program. The Apple Valley Fire Chief noted
that his department hasn’t had to hire a new firefighter for nearly five years; he attributes that success to
“paying close attention to morale and clearly laying our expectations” before he hires someone. The City
of Lakeville also gets spouses involved, as they recognize the impacts that being a volunteer fire fighter
bring to their family.
There are numerous professional organizations that have developed model programs that can be used in
recruitment and retention efforts. There is no reason to “reinvent the wheel” where proven programs exist
to assist volunteer fire/rescue organizations with these matters. The National Volunteer Fire Council at
www.nvfc.org has a number of quality programs and provides assistance that can help this program get
started. Assistance can also be obtained through the Federal Emergency Management Association
(FEMA) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) at www.usfa.fema.gov. Both of these organizations
have published numerous free reports on Recruitment and Retention among the Volunteer Fire Service
Volunteer Incentives and Recognition – Incentive and recognition programs are very important for fire
and rescue volunteers. Given the enormous time demands, training demands, and personal risks, it is easy
for volunteers to burn out and quit after only a few years of service. Incentives and recognition programs
are essential components to maintaining a strong cadre of experienced volunteers and to prevent a
revolving door situation. For the equivalent loaded salary cost of one career firefighter, a great deal of
recognition, incentive, and recruiting programs for volunteers can be implemented.
Many local governments across the nation have strengthened their incentive programs for volunteer
firefighters. The cost of incentives is small and economically justifiable if they help recruit and retain
volunteers and forestall hiring more career employees. As we all know, volunteers in the fire and rescue
service today are the first line defenders for any type of emergency or disaster.
Station Live-in Programs – One of the strongest incentive programs for volunteers, particularly younger
volunteers, is the station live-in program. Individual volunteer departments can establish minimum
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 34
standards for members to live at the station. For example, the City of Eagan offers six dorm rooms at the
fire station where fire fighters live for free in exchange for their service. Forest Lake is exploring re-
organizations in city hall, developing dual role positions including firefighter/building inspector and
firefighter/custodian. Usually, volunteers must sign up for two to four duty nights per week to qualify.
Live-in programs are an excellent incentive as well as a recruitment and retention tool. They not only
promote participation, but they guarantee that volunteers will be at the station and ready to answer
emergency calls without having to respond from home to the station. The major drawback to the live-in
programs is that they are only an incentive for single volunteers since there is generally no housing
available for married volunteers. Also, the sleeping areas are not very suitable for permanent residency
(e.g., in most cases they are open bunkrooms instead of individual dorm rooms).
Recognition – Volunteers generally want to be appreciated and receive some form of recognition for their
service to the community. Some are willing to work quietly for years and obtain satisfaction just from
doing the job, helping people in need, and the camaraderie in the department. However, information
obtained from surveys taken by former volunteers (as well as self-perception of the volunteers) from
across the country indicates that a little recognition goes a long way. Although most volunteers never
mention the desire for recognition, it is almost always well received when given and usually problematic
when withheld.
Cable Television and Utility Bills – Volunteers could be given free cable television, and/or exempted
from some local utility bills.
Tuition Assistance – Volunteers could be offered tuition assistance after a certain period of service,
similar to tuition assistance offered to municipal employees in some jurisdictions. Some national EMS
organizations make scholarships available to enhance local efforts.
Pension Plans – Many jurisdictions around the country have set up retirement plans for volunteer
firefighters. Most of these plans are based on years of service and set up through the state legislature.
This is a standard program for rewarding volunteer firefighters who put in years of service to their
community.
Requirements of a Recruitment and Retention Program – No matter which program is selected, it is
imperative that this recruitment, retention and educational effort be a well thought out, on-going,
combined effort with the support and backing of all involved parties. This is not a localized or short-term
concern but a long-term local and national issue that can’t be solved in a vacuum or without great deal of
work. It will take the total commitment, effort and dedication of a wide range of professional, and city
leaders to make this program a reality. Outside of the box thinking and creative program development is
vital to maintaining a healthy volunteer fire/rescue program for the City.
The result of such a program failing is the need to provide this service through a paid crew (duty crew) or
a subscription delivery system. Because volunteers are hard to find, more and more cities are exploring
the hiring of duty crews. These alternatives are more costly for taxpayers than the time and efforts that
will be involved in helping maintain a quality well-staffed volunteer fire/rescue system that is currently in
place.
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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 35
APPENDIX A
Current CFD Organizational Structure
41
+
Expenditures
March 25, 2024
Check #120390 to #120482
$661,506.63
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
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Electronic Funds Transfer
MN Statute 471.38 Subd. 3
Council Meeting March 25, 2024 Transfer In/(Out)
3/5/2024 H.S.A. Employer Contribution (5,791.52)
3/13/2024 Transfer from FRB Money Market 400,000.00
3/15/2024 Payroll #05 (215,101.01)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 Federal Deposit (57,310.22)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 PERA (57,660.02)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 PERA - DIE Credits Bohne, McGregor 987.54
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 State (13,075.04)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 Child Support (321.48)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 H.S.A. Bank Pretax (3,388.70)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 TASC Pretax (867.27)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 Mission Sq 457 Def. Comp #301596 (2,645.00)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 Mission Sq Roth IRA #706155 (939.23)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 MSRS HCSP #98946-01 (5,088.25)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 MSRS Def. Comp #98945-01 (2,985.00)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 MSRS Roth IRA #98945-01 (779.00)
3/15/2024 Bldg Permit Surcharge (1,964.59)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 ACH Return R Cheesebrow 10.85
3/18/2024 Payroll #06 ACH Resent R Cheesebrow (10.85)
3/15/2024 Payroll #06 ACH Return N Melanson 105.00
3/19/2024 Payroll #06 ACH Resent N Melanson (105.00)
3/20/2024 Sales & Use Tax (7,294.00)
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LINO LAKES CITY COUNCIL
WORK SESSION
MINUTES
DATE: March 4, 2024
TIME STARTED: 6:00 PM
TIME ENDED: 8:19 PM
MEMBERS PRESENT: Councilmembers Lyden, Stoesz, Ruhland, Cavegn, Mayor
Rafferty
Staff members present: City Administrator Sarah Cotton; Finance Director Hannah Lynch; Public
Safety Director John Swenson; Public Safety Deputy Director Kyle Leibel; Community
Development Director Michael Grochala; Public Services Director Rick DeGardner; Environmental
Coordinator Andy Nelson.
Prior to getting underway with the Work Session agenda items, Mayor Rafferty read a letter
submitted by local seniors who have requested that the City allow for additional senior events at
The Rookery. The letter has been attached to these minutes.
1.Centerville Lake Aluminum Sulfate Treatment
Environmental Coordinator Andy Nelson and Matt Kocian with Rice Creek Watershed District
(RCWSD) presented to Council on a recently awarded grant in the amount of $954,500 which
will be used for improving water quality in Centerville Lake. The majority of these funds will
be used for alum treatments that will address internal phosphorous loading that has been
responsible for algae blooms and other water quality issues. RCWSD is seeking funding from
the grant partners (Lino Lakes, Centerville, and Anoka County) in an amount of 3% of the total
project budget or approximately $35,000 per partner as a grant match; RCWSD will contribute
5% or approximately $50,000 to the project. Mr. Kocian noted these amounts are “not to
exceed” amounts.
Mr. Kocian provided an overview of the need for the alum treatment as well as projects that
have already been implemented to enhance and improve lake quality, and the plans for
implementing the alum treatment.
Councilmember Cavegn commented that the Centerville Lake Association spoke to Council
recently on this and stated they were raising money for an alum treatment; Kocian said that
RCWSD has not approached the Lake Association for a contribution toward this project.
Councilmember Cavegn recommended that RCWSD approach the Lake Association to inquire
about funding contributions.
Mr. Kocian noted that there has been consideration given to setting up a special taxing district
as well which would support a booster treatment in 10-12 years. Councilmember Ruhland
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suggested that the special taxing district moves forward. Mr. Kocian noted that they board
wishes to obtain monitoring data prior to making any final decisions.
Councilmember Lyden asked Mr. Kocian to discuss how commited the other grant partners
are to this project. Mr. Kocian said he has met with the other partners and all have expressed
support for the project. The next step is a reimbursement/cost-share agreement which will
be provided to the partners. He also noted a public meeting will be scheduled in early April
and he will be asking the partners to help advertise and promote the meeting and project
Councilmember Ruhland stressed the importance of reducing the financial burden on the
resdients and redirecting the impact toward the Lake Association. He did confirm that he is
in support of the project and being a grant partner.
Community Development Director noted that if Council moves forward with funding for this
project, the funds would come from the Surface Water Management Fund.
Mayor Rafferty stated that he would like to discuss this further at a second work session
before a decision is made as he has concerns about potential future requests.
Councilmember Stoesz said that his concerns is priority: He would like to know what other
project may be impacted if these funds are directed to this project. He would like to have full
understanding of the financial impact.
Christopher Stowe, 426 Pine Street, provided comments about a lake in Wisconsin. He said
that the people on the lake should be paying; the tax money by residents would be paying for
this. He said the money should be from Centerville and that this is a waste of his money.
2. Environmental Board Annual Goals
Environmental Coordinator Andy Nelson presented the 2024 annual work plan put forward
by the Environmental Board including initiatives concerning current environmental issues in
the major areas of focus of the Environmental Board, including wildlife, forestry, natural
resources, water, and solid waste management.
3. Utility Meter Reading Equipment Hardware and Customer Portal
Community Development Director Michael Grochala brought back for discussion the
purchase of utility meter reading software that was tabled on December 11, 2023. He recalled
for Council the basis for the item being tabled, specifically, Council concerns related to use of
the software for code enforcement particularly related to water use and lawn sprinkling. He
advised that neither the data collected nor the software can be used to specifically identify a
code violation, such as watering during prohibited times or prohibited days. The software
cannot identify how water is being used. It can, however, serve as an indicator of above-
normal water use which is an aid in detecting leaks. He proposed the following policy criteria
for Council consideration:
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1) Data may be used to support inquiries to ensure compliance or initiate additional review.
2) No citation may be issued directly from use of data. Any potential code enforcement
violations must be independently verified by other means including but not limited to visual
identification of offense in the field.
Councilmember Lyden asked for details on who specifically would be the staff independently
verifying violations. Director Grochala indicated it would typically be utility staff and possibly
building inspectors. Public Services Director Rick DeGardner added that any verification
would typically be taking place during the course of normal work staff would not be out
seeking violations.
Director Grochala advised that staff is continuing to evaluate some additional software and
will bring something forward in late April or May.
4. Mountain Manufacturing Expansion
Community Development Director Michael Grochala City presented on the proposed facility
expansion of Mountain Manufacturing Technologies (400 Apollo Drive). In January, the EDA
acquired a parcel adjacent to the property then conveyed the same property to facilitate the
expansion project. Mountain Manufacturing is now requesting conveyance of adjacent
unused parcels to the north and northeast of their property to allow for the required parking
at the facility. Parcel 17-31-22-2-0013 is not buildable on its own and has a market value of
$13,000. Based on the new tax based to be realized by this project, Director Grochala will be
recommending transfer of the parcel at a nominal cost. Mountain Manufacturing has
proposed to cover legal and administrative costs. Director Grochala advised that if Council is
agreeable, he will bring this to the Economic Development Advisory Committee and following
their review, will forward a request for Council’s consideration in April.
5. Rookery Financial Update
Finance Director Hannah Lynch provided an update on the financials related to The Rookery
Activity Center as staff works on closing the books on 2023 which was the first full fiscal year
for the center. She reviewed the budget documentation provided in the packet including the
projected deficit. She recommended Council consider relieving the deficit via a transfer from
the General Fund to the Rookery Activity Fund.
City Administrator Sarah Cotton provided details on current membership levels, noting a 29%
increase in memberships and a 32% increase in members and notably, an increase in
membership fee revenue in the amount of $39,000 in the first two months of 2024.
Administrator Cotton provided some additional statistics, including:
- Monthly Membership Fee Revenue: 26% increase (02/2023 versus 02/2024)
- Annual Membership Fee Revenue: 24% increase (02/2023 versus 02/2024)
- Programming Revenue: 106% increase (02/2023 versus 02/2024)
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Administrator Cotton also highlighted staffing adjustments and staffing reevaluations that
are taking place; specifically, she noted that the Activity Center Director position will likely
remain vacant for the year, resulting in a savings of $120,000 and that changes in the aquatics
department could realize additional savings of $20,000-$30,000 per year.
Councilmember Cavegn noted concerns that many residents he interacts with still tell him
they have no idea about The Rookery. Public Services Director Rick DeGardner agreed that
awareness remains a challenge regardless of significant staff efforts to inform residents of
the benefits of membership at The Rookery. He noted that one of the areas staff has struggled
is with coordinating with the school districts to get membership information out to students
and families. Director DeGardner highlighted some marketing efforts that are currently
underway.
Councilmember Stoesz inquired about extended the resident benefit to residents of
Centerville. Administrator Cotton informally ran through current resident versus non-
resident membership details and extrapolated from that the possible financial impact of
extended resident member discounts outside of the City.
Councilmember Ruhland inquired about future expansion and the possibility of adding
pickleball courts and pickleball memberships given the popularity and bookings at places such
as Smash Park; he added that it would make The Rookery as a destination as well. Director
DeGardner said that he believes the membership base needs to increase first before the City
moves forward with formal expansion plans.
Council concurred to bringing forward a transfer request consistent with Director Lynch’s
recommendation.
6. Repurposing of Police Division Administrative Vehicle
Public Safety Director John Swenson and Deputy Director Kyle Leibel provided some
background on Public Safety administrative vehicles, noting the 2023 budget decision that
Police Admin Vehicle 397 would be replaced as part of the capital replacement plan and that
Vehicle 397 would be repurposed and transferred to Public Services for use by various City
staff ) This Public Services Shared Vehicle would be used by custodial and maintenance,
elections, environmental, and administrative staff to conduct City business. If the vehicle is
available for use, it would be the expectation that staff use this vehicle instead of a personal
vehicle and requesting mileage reimbursement. After further evaluation of the vehicles, it is
recommended that Vehicle 301 be repurposed for use by City staff and Vehicles 397 and 398
be sold.
Mayor Rafferty voiced concerns that the reimbursements paid to staff for mileage may not
support the cost of maintaining one of these vehicles for staff use. Councilmember Ruhland
provided an example that if staff were reimbursed for 100,000 at the Federal rate, the city
would be paying out $67,000 in mileage reimbursement.
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City Administrator Sarah Cotton noted that at the present time, Vehicle 503 is available to
staff to use but only temporarily as it is designated to the vacant utilities position; the
availability of this vehicle has reduced reimbursement requests which will increase
significantly if there is not a vehicle available for staff to use to conduct their daily work.
Community Development Director Michael Grochala provided further examples of the ways
that staff use the vehicle.
Councilmember Stoesz asked what employees are required to provide when driving a city
vehicle. Administrator Cotton advised that the City covers insurance but that any employee
who may be asked to operate a city vehicle is required to provide proof of a valid drivers
licese.
City Council concurred with repurposing Vehicle 301 for staff use and selling Vehicles 397 and
398.
7. HF 4009/SF 3964 “Missing Middle Housing” Bill
City Administrator Sarah Cotton provided a brief update on pending legislation which may
have an impact on local control related to zoning and land use preemption provisions. She
noted that the bills are moving quickly through committees and gaining traction; she
encouraged Councilmember and residents to reach out to the state legislators with concerns.
8. Council Updates on Boards/Commissions, City Council
Mayor Rafferty provided an update on a recent Vadnais Lake Area Water Management
Organization (VLAWMO) meeting and a grant opportunity that was discussed related to smart
irrigation controllers.
Councilmember Ruhland asked for updates on various projects; Community Development
Director Grochala provided brief updates.
Councilmember Stoesz suggested that several Councilmembers be designated to attend to
Blue Heron Days.
9. Adjourn
The Work session was concluded at 8:19 PM.
These minutes were considered and approved at the regular Council Meeting on March 25, 2024.
Jolleen Chaika, City Clerk Rob Rafferty, Mayor
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1
LINO LAKES CITY COUNCIL
WORK SESSION
MINUTES
DATE: March 11, 2024
TIME STARTED: 6:00 PM
TIME ENDED: 6:21 PM
MEMBERS PRESENT: Councilmembers Stoesz, Lyden, Ruhland, Cavegn, Mayor
Rafferty
Staff Members Present: City Administrator Sarah Cotton; Police Captain William Owens; City
Clerk Jolleen Chaika.
1.Review Regular Agenda
Mayor Rafferty reviewed the meeting agenda. Staff provided an overview of agenda items.
The work session concluded at 6:18 PM.
These minutes were considered and approved at the regular Council Meeting on March 25, 2024.
Jolleen Chaika, City Clerk Rob Rafferty, Mayor
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1
LINO LAKES CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES
DATE: March 11, 2024
TIME STARTED: 6:30 PM
TIME ENDED: 6:44 PM
MEMBERS PRESENT: Councilmembers, Lyden, Stoesz, Ruhland, Cavegn, Mayor
Rafferty
Staff members present: City Administrator Sarah Cotton; Deputy Director of Public Safety Dan
L’Allier; Police Captain William Owens; City Clerk Jolleen Chaika.
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Rafferty at 6:30 PM.
PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comment was received and public comment was closed at 6:32 PM.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Deputy Director of Public Safety Dan L’Allier introduced new firefighters Tyler Moore, Ryan Olson,
Joshua Rouse, and Sam Sampey to the City of Lino Lakes. Mayor Rafferty issued the Oath of Fire
Service to each.
Following the swearing in of the new firefighters, and in observance of the retirement of District
Fire Chief Craig Menne was recognized for his 20 years of service. Mayor Rafferty presented
District Chief with a plaque to commemorate his career and public service.
SETTING THE AGENDA
The agenda was accepted as presented.
1.CONSENT AGENDA
A.Consider Approval of Expenditures for March 11, 2024 (Check No. 120313 through
120389) in the Amount of $571,471.72
B.Consider Approval of February 26, 2024 Work Session Minutes
C.Consider Approval of February 26, 2024 Council Meeting Minutes
D.Consider Approval of the Hiring of Part-Time Staff for the Rookery Activity Center
E.2024 Board and Committee Appointments
F.Approval of Exempt Gambling Permit for St. Joseph of the Lake Church
G.Consider Resolution No. 24-18, Approving Transfer to the Rookery Activity Center
Prior to Council action on the Consent Agenda, Councilmember Lyden offered comments related
to Consent Agenda Item 1E: 2024 Board and Committee Appointments. He recalled that there
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2
were 15 applicants for the various board vacancies and that Council had a collaborative
discussion following the interviews held at Special Work Sessions He advised that he found it
striking that following the collaborative discussion, three councilmembers withdrew their
support from a candidate that he believed they were all in agreement to appoint and then voted
to appoint a member that was not discussed for appointment. Councilmember Lyden advised
that he has concerns that there had been a violation of Open Meeting Law due to possible serial
meetings being conducted. He thanked Councilmember Cavegn for his honesty and integrity.
i. Motion to: Approve Consent Agenda Items 1A – 1G.
Following the Consent Agenda, Mayor Rafferty passed out a booklet with a 2014 staff report and
fire analysis. He asked that Council consider a motion to add a discussion of the analysis to the
next Work Session agenda.
i. Motion to: Add discussion of 2014 Fire Analysis to the next Work Session agenda.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Rafferty reviewed the Community Calendar as presented on the Agenda. With no further
business before the Council, the meeting was adjourned by Mayor Rafferty at 6:44 PM.
These minutes were considered and approved at the regular Council Meeting on March 25, 2024.
Jolleen Chaika, City Clerk Rob Rafferty, Mayor
RESULT: CARRIED [4-0]
MOVER: Stoesz
SECONDER: Ruhland
AYES: Cavegn, Stoesz, Ruhland, Rafferty
ABSTAIN: Lyden
RESULT: CARRIED [5-0]
MOVER: Lyden
SECONDER: Ruhland
AYES: Lyden, Ruhland, Cavegn, Stoesz, Rafferty
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CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM 1E
STAFF ORIGINATOR: Meg Sawyer, Human Resources and Communications Manager
MEETING DATE: March 25, 2024
TOPIC: Approval of the Hiring of Part-Time Staff for the Rookery Activity Center
VOTE REQUIRED: 3/5
_________________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
The Council is being asked to approve the hiring of part-time staff for The Rookery.
BACKGROUND
Staff is seeking approval to hire part-time personnel to work at The Rookery. The recruiting process
has identified candidates that will be a great addition to our staff at The Rookery.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Council approve the hiring of the part-time personnel listed below:
First Name Last Name Title
Caleb Melser Lifeguard
Start dates vary based on position and training schedule.
Please approve the above personnel for the part-time positions at The Rookery Activity Center.
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1
CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM 1F
STAFF ORIGINATOR: Jolleen Chaika, City Clerk
MEETING DATE: March 25, 2024
TOPIC: Resolution 24-21: Solicitor Permit, Legacy Restoration
VOTE REQUIRED: Simple Majority
______________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
Legacy Restoration, located at 15350 25th Avenue North, Ste. 114, Plymouth, Minnesota has
submitted a solicitor’s permit application to the City Clerk’s office.
The company representatives proposed to conduct solicitation in Lino Lakes are: Rick Brambrink
and Jamiya Walker.
The company representatives plan to travel through Lino Lakes’ neighborhoods, going door-to-
door offering exterior renovations for roofing, siding, windows, and gutters and will offer free
exterior inspections to potential clients.
The City has received all the necessary forms required to issue this company a Solicitor Permit.
The Lino Lakes Public Safety Department has performed the background checks and indicated no
reason to deny the application.
The application, along with all supporting documentation, is on file in the City Clerk’s office for
review.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve Resolution No. 24-21, authorizing the issuance of a Solicitor Permit to Legacy
Restoration for a period of six (6) months, commencing March 26, 2024.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution 24-21
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CITY OF LINO LAKES
RESOLUTION NO. 24-21
APPROVING A SOLICITOR LICENSE LEGACY RESTORATION
WHEREAS, Legacy Restoration, located in Plymouth, Minnesota, has applied for a solicitor
license request a license to allow Rick Brambrink and Jamiya Walker to solicit within the City of
Lino Lakes; and,
WHEREAS, Legacy Restoration has complied with all provisions of Chapter 613 of the Lino
Lakes City Code for obtaining the necessary license; and,
WHEREAS, the Lino Lakes Public Safety Department has conducted a background check
on both individuals who will be working in Lino Lakes and no reason was found to deny the license
application;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of Lino Lakes, Minnesota hereby
approves the request of Legacy Restoration to solicit throughout Lino Lakes for a period six
(6) months, effective March 26, 2024 – September 26, 2024.
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Lino Lakes this 25th day of March, 2024.
___________________________
Rob Rafferty, Mayor
ATTEST:
___________________________
Jolleen Chaika, City Clerk
95
1
CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM 1G
STAFF ORIGINATOR: Diane Hankee, City Engineer
MEETING DATE: March 25, 2024
TOPIC: Consider Resolution No. 24-19 Approving Certificate of
Completion, DRF Lino Eye Building (Associated Eye Care)
VOTE REQUIRED: 3/5
INTRODUCTION
Staff is requesting City Council approval for the certificate of completion for the DRF Lino Eye
Building project.
BACKGROUND
On January 10, 2022, the City entered into a site performance agreement with DRF Lino Eye
Building for the Associated Eye Care project. The project is located off of 24th Ave and
Rosemary Way. Section XV of the site performance agreement states that upon acceptance of
the Developer Improvements the City and Developer will enter into a Certificate of
Completion. The project has been accepted and they have received their Certificate of
Occupancy.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff is recommending the City Council approve Resolution 24-19 approving the certificate of
completion for the DRF Lino Eye Building project.
ATTACHMENTS
1.Resolution No. 24-19
2.Certificate of Completion
96
CITY OF LINO LAKES
RESOLUTION NO. 24-19
APPROVING CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION FOR DRF LINO EYE BUILDING
PROJECT
WHEREAS, On January 10, 2022 the City entered into a site performance agreement
with DRF Lino Eye Building for the Associated Eye Care project ; and
WHEREAS, Section XV of the site performance agreement states that upon acceptance
of the Developer Improvements the City and Developer will enter into a Certificate of
Completion; and
WHEREAS, The project has been accepted by the City.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Lino Lakes
approves the Certificate of Completion for DRF Lino Eye Building project and the Mayor and
City Clerk are authorized to execute such agreements on behalf of the City.
Adopted by the Council of the City of Lino Lakes this 25th day of March, 2024.
_______________________________
Rob Rafferty, Mayor
ATTEST:
________________________
Jolleen Chaika, City Clerk
97
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
THIS CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION (the “Certificate”) hereby certifies
that the CITY OF LINO LAKES, a Minnesota Municipal corporation (“City”), and DRF
LINO EYE BUILDING LLC, a Minnesota limited liability company (“Developer”),
acknowledge and agree: (i) all obligations of Developer set forth in the Site Improvement
Performance Agreement, dated February 10, 2022, recorded February 16, 2022, as
Document No. 2356305.003 with the Anoka County Property Records and Taxation
Property Tax Administrator and Recorder (“Agreement”), regarding certain real property
located at 2380 Rosemary Way, Lino Lakes, Minnesota, as legally described on Exhibit
A, have been satisfied and accepted by the City, and (ii) the Agreement shall terminate
as of the date of this Certificate and the Agreement shall be of no further force and effect.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed and issued this
Certificate as of the _____ day of March, 2024.
[Signature Pages to Follow]
98
[Signature Page to Certificate]
CITY:
CITY OF LINO LAKES,
a Minnesota municipal corporation
By: ______________________________________
Name: ____________________________________
Its: Mayor
ATTEST:
By: ____________________________________
Name:__________________________________
Its:_____________________________________
STATE OF MINNESOTA )
) SS
COUNTY OF ANOKA )
Personally came before me this ___ day of March, 2024, the above-named
___________________, in his/her capacity as Mayor of the City of Lino Lakes, a
Minnesota municipal corporation, to me known to be the person who executed the
foregoing instrument and acknowledged the same.
Notary Public
Printed Name:
My Commission Expires:_____________
STATE OF MINNESOTA )
) SS
COUNTY OF ANOKA )
Personally came before me this ___ day of March, 2024, the above-named
___________________, in his/her capacity as _________________ of the City of Lino
Lakes, a Minnesota municipal corporation, to me known to be the person who executed
the foregoing instrument and acknowledged the same.
Notary Public
Printed Name:
My Commission Expires:_____________
99
[Signature Page to Certificate]
DEVELOPER:
DRF LINO EYE BUILDING LLC,
a Minnesota limited liability company
By: ______________________________________
Name: ____________________________________
Its:_____________________________________
STATE OF _________________ )
) SS
COUNTY OF ________________ )
Personally came before me this ___ day of March, 2024, the above-named
___________________, in his capacity as _______________ of DRF Lino Eye Building
LLC, a Minnesota limited liability company, to me known to be the person who executed
the foregoing instrument and acknowledged the same.
Notary Public
Printed Name:
My Commission Expires:_____________
100
A-1
Exhibit A
Real property in the City of Lino Lakes, County of Anoka, State of Minnesota, described
as follows:
Lot 1, Block 1, Belland Farms, Anoka County, Minnesota.
(Abstract Property)
Tax Key No.: 24-31-22-11-0012
101
1
CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM 6A
STAFF ORIGINATOR: Diane Hankee, PE City Engineer
MEETING DATE: March 25, 2024
TOPIC: Consider Resolution 24-20, Order Project, Approve the Plans and
Specifications and Authorize the Ad for Bid, 2024 Rejuvenator
Project
VOTE REQUIRED: 3/5
______________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
Staff is requesting Council approval to Order the Project, Approve the Plans and Specifications,
and Authorize the Advertisement for Bids for the 2024 Rejuvenator Project.
BACKGROUND
The City’s 2024 Pavement Management Program includes a Street Rehabilitation Project and a
Street Maintenance Project. The Council awarded the Street Rehabilitation Project construction
contract at the February 12, 2024 Council meeting. The Street Maintenance Project includes
applying a maltene-based asphalt rejuvenator. Rejuvenators are a new product many Cities are
using in lieu of seal coating the City has completed three rejuvenator projects the past. As a
third project in 2024 staff is coordinating a crack fill project. The rejuvenator maintenance
project includes the following:
Area A: 4th Ave
Area B: Forsham Lake Dr, Stage Coach Tr, Post Rd
Area C: W Shadow Lake, Shadow Ct , Sandpiper Dr,
Area D: Fox Rd
Area E: Joyer Ln, Karth Rd, Talle Ln, Canfield, Gaage Ln
Area F: Dogwood St, Ivywood Ave, Butternut St
Area G: 21st Ave, Crane Dr, Balsam Way, Diamond Ln, Forest, Eden Cir, Emily Cir,
Watermark Way, Harriet Ln, Geneva Ct, Itasca Cir, Johanna Cir, Cass Dr, Ada Dr, Bay Dr,
Jasper Ct, Island Ct, Heron Ct, Gull Dr, Dora Dr, Elmo Ct, Fall Dr
The estimated total project cost including contingency and overhead is $223,000. The project is funded
through the Pavement Management Funds.
102
2
The estimated schedule for the project:
Order Imprv, Approve Plans and Spec, Authorize Ad for Bids March 25, 2024
City Opens Bids April 17, 2024
City Council Awards Contract April 22, 2024
Construction Begins May-August 2024
Final Completion August 2024
RECOMMENDATION
Staff is recommending approval of Resolution No. 24-20, Order Project, Approve the Plans and
Specifications, and Authorize the Ad for Bid for the 2024 Rejuvenator Project.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution No. 24-20
2. Project Location Map
103
CITY OF LINO LAKES
RESOLUTION NO. 24-20
RESOLUTION ORDER PROJECT, APPROVE PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS, AND
AUTHORIZE ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS FOR 2024 REJUVENATOR PROJECT
WHEREAS, the City Engineer has prepared plans and specifications for the 2024
Rejuvenator Project. Project plans and specifications have been presented to the City
Council for approval.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of Lino Lakes, Minnesota
that the 2024 Rejuvenator Project is ordered and the plans and specifications are ordered,
a copy of which is on file at City hall. The City Engineer is directed to advertise for bids, and
provide bidding administration.
The City Clerk shall prepare and cause to be inserted in the official paper and in
Finance and Commerce an advertisement for bids for the making of such improvement
under such approved plans and specifications. The advertisement shall be published for
two weeks, shall specify the work to be done, shall state that bids will be received by the
Clerk, at which time they will be publicly opened at the City Hall by the City Clerk and
Engineer, will then be tabulated, and will be considered by the Council at 6:30 p.m. on
April 22nd, 2024, in the Council chambers of the City Hall. Any bidder whose responsibility
is questioned during consideration of the bid will be given an opportunity to address the
Council on the issue of responsibility. No bids will be considered unless sealed and filed
with the Clerk and accompanied by a cash deposit, cashier’s check, bid bond or certified
check payable to the Clerk for five (5) percent of the amount of such bid.
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Lino Lakes this 25th day of March, 2024.
___________________________
Rob Rafferty, Mayor
ATTEST:
___________________________
Jolleen Chaika, City Clerk
104
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FeetGeneral Layout
City of Lino Lakes, Minnesota
2024 Reclamite Project
Reclamite
Parcel Boundaries
City Boundary
Sheet 2
2024 Rejuvenator
CRF
105