04/09/2003 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 9, 2003 APPROVED PROPOSAL FOR QUAD CITIES POLICE DEPARTMENT, LINDA WAITE • SMITH • • City Administrator Waite Smith advised the Council has heard the presentation from the four City Administrator's regarding a Quad Cities Police Department. The public hearing is scheduled for April 14, 2003. All cities are being asked to give an indication of whether or not they wish to proceed. A committee will then be selected to develop a joint powers agreement. Developing a committee does not commit any of the involved cities to the Quad Cities Police Department. It seems everyone has concerns regarding the details of the agreement and the possible loss of jobs. City Administrator Waite Smith advised two of the participating cities have already selected their representatives for the committee. Another city has committed to proceeding to the next level. Councilmember Reinert stated that in the proposed scenario the City of Lino Lakes is accepting most of the financial responsibility without most of the authority. He stated he is very concerned about that issue and the fact that there is no termination to the contract. City Administrator Waite Smith advised all the involved cities have a problem with the formula. The administrators have not talked to any elected officials about the voting authority. She stated she believes the involved cities think the authority should all be equal. Councilmember Carlson stated she does want to work with surrounding communities. However, she would never run a business based on the numbers and figures that were presented in the proposal. She stated she is also very concerned about the employees that have been on the force for a long time and live in Lino Lakes. She stated she is not convinced the City will save any money with the current proposal. Councilmember O'Donnell stated the question is whether or not the City should continue to investigate the possibility of a Quad Cities Police Department. He stated he does agree with the other Councilmembers concerns but thinks the city should investigate further. He suggested the "deal breakers" within the proposal should be discussed right away by the committee. Mayor Bergeson stated the City has the potential to save a significant amount of money. He believes the City has to investigate further. He stated the governance issue is a big issue with the public and the City. There are also a lot of concerns about people losing their jobs. He stated he is willing to have the City select representatives to further discuss this issue and governess of a combined department. City Administrator Waite Smith suggested she speak to the other City Administrators regarding the "deal breakers" to determine if the City should elect committee members. Councilmember Dahl stated she is concerned about the equality of finances and governance. Quality of the force is another concern.