04/14/2003 Council Minutes (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 14, 2003 APPROVED 137 year for this. Mr. Keinath indicated it was only an example, and the actual allocation would be up to W38 all four cities to determine. 139 140 Councilmember Carlson stated she had asked for a list of equipment, which she received, however 141 she saw there were some differences in them. She cited an example on the vehicles, where the 142 valuation came up higher, even though the Centennial police department vehicles are a year and a half 143 older. She brings this up because there are a lot of numbers that would need to be worked out by the 144 cities, since the agreement indicates the equipment would stay if Lino Lakes were to stop 145 participating in a joint department. Mr. Keinath confirmed that the agreement is that the equipment 146 would remain with the new department unless the entire department dissolves. 147 148 Mayor Bergeson opened the public hearing at 6:54 p.m. 149 150 Mayor Bergeson introduced Lyle Bye from the Public Safety Citizen's Committee (PSCC). Mr. Bye 151 stated PSCC is an official arm of the Lino Lakes Police Department, created to be a liaison with the 152 residents and the department to help them do their job more effectively. He indicated when issues 153 arise, the Committee makes recommendations on how the citizens would like to see things happen. 154 He stated the Committee has several comments on the Joint Powers Agreement they feel are 155 important for the Council to consider. 156 157 1. If a merger takes place, they are concerned that it happenas fast as possible. Morale is low in 158 the department due to uncertainty of employment should this go through. The proposed time 159 schedule shows a merger taking the rest of this year, but for those wondering about job M.160 security, that is too long. The best officers will leave and try for employment elsewhere, and 61 the Committee believes Lino Lakes has the best training and therefore the best officers. 162 Therefore, the merger needs to move forward quickly or be dropped. 163 2. For staff, decisions need to be fair and fast, with as much staff retained as possible from the 164 Chief on down. 165 3. The Committee desires to retain the Lino Lakes Police Department philosophy. Over the last 166 30 years they have seen the Lino Lakes Police Department go from one of little respect to one 167 of the best departments in the state. Their programs are great and their safety record is 168 outstanding, and they have brought a trust factor to citizens that needs to be maintained. 169 170 Mayor Bergeson replied that this City Council is not known for their speedy decisions, but they will 171 do their best. 172 173 Scott McGuire, 6300 Deerwood Lane, stated he left messages for all five Councilmembers, and 174 thanked the three who called him back. He indicated Lino Lakes has a good Police Department. His 175 concern is that currently if there is a problem, and there needs to be another officer in a certain area, 176 the City Council can approve it. From the way it sounds, if this goes through, the City Council will 177 only have a 25% decision in staffing. He stated Lino Lakes has a good department, and he thanked 178 the City Council for letting them do their job. 179 180 Mayor Bergeson indicated the City Council would discuss this at the next work session and the next 181 City Council meeting. He stated they could close the public hearing now or leave it open until then. 182 gibi 83 Councilmember Carlson stated her preference would be to leave it open. Councilmember O'Donnell 184 indicated that for the reasons they heard here tonight, he would like to close it and move this along. 4