06-23-25 - City Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Fire Chief clarified that the paid on -call schedule only covered Monday through Friday during the day. They need coverage 24/7. He said the Citygate study pointed out where the deficiencies were and propose a three-year plan to address the deficiencies. It may be possible to spread the plan out, but the staffing levels identified in the study are where the department needs to be. He stated that with a full-time department there would be a need for less firefighters and therefore less turnout gear. If the Department wants to contract out services to neighboring communities, they need to be fully staffed. He stated that they could have 12 vs. 15 firefighters if they have the two station dorms to accommodate 24-hour coverage. The Interim City Administrator stated that to address the deficiency during the daytime the part time Duty Crew firefighter's schedule could be adopted and the insurance benefits funded. With the promotion of the Deputy Chief and 1 Battalion Chief working different hours could partially cover after hours. This would provide the city with time to talk with neighboring cities. It doesn't stop us from applying for a SAFER grant. It would be a bridge between current and future plans. Councilmember Cavegn stated that even if Lino Lakes sub -contracts services to neighboring cities, that would only cover a fraction of the costs. The total 77% increase resulting from the plan is too much. He recognized that we may need the staffing levels identified, but the costs are too much. Councilmember Ruhland stated that the City just completed the fire department study, one option would be to apply for a fraction of the planned staff funding through the SAFER grant for 2026 and then apply again for additional staffing in future years. Councilmember Lyden concurred that the budget numbers to move to a full-time department were almost impossible. The Interim Finance Director reviewed the budget projections. She identified which costs in the plan for personnel, facilities and equipment were one-time and/or transitional costs that could be supported by a one-time transfer from the contingency fund and which items would become part of the annual budget expenses. Councilmember Ruhland asked if there was a way to calculate the tax capacity ahead of the numbers provided by Anoka County for budgeting purposes, using the building permit data. The Interim Finance Director provided the current numbers available and stated that it would be a special project to prepare a tax capacity estimate separate from the County numbers. The Interim City Administrator stated that he would ask the Community Development Director to follow up with Councilmember Ruhland on building permit data. Page 2 of 3 Page 16 of 142