01-04-2016 Council Work Session Minutes

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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION January 4, 2016 APPROVED 46 Council Member Kusterman asked about the proposal to purchase the light rescue/mini 47 pumper trucks. Does the recommendation to purchase those vehicles mean that the Just 48 purchased fire trucks aren't expected to be used for very long? Director Swenson 49 explained that his recommendation to purchase the smaller vehicles is about prolonging 50 the life of those larger vehicles and also decreasing associated repair costs. 51 52 Public Safety Deputy Director D'Allier explained that the new fire trucks were well 53 inspected before being purchased but they have required some repair while being used for 54 training. The aggressive training schedule will continue. 55 56 The council discussed how the city's ISO rating is determined. Director Swenson 57 suggested that while the addition of the station plays a role, the equipment is big part of 58 the rating. 59 60 When Mayor Reinert asked how the city can have its ISO rating reviewed, Deputy 61 Director D'Allier explained that the department must be in operation for one year and can 62 then request an audit. 63 64 Council Member Maher said that she is inclined to think that waiting on the equipment 65 purchase is good so the city can see what is really needed. She wonders if the city could 66 be causing disrepair to equipment that isn't used regularly. She wants to ensure first and 67 foremost that the community will be best served by the equipment. Director Swenson 68 explained that the equipment has a regular maintenance schedule. 69 70 The council reviewed renderings of the light rescue/mini pumper truck. They discussed 71 the longevity of the vehicles, the ability to replace just the chassis portion, and availability 72 of the vehicles through different manufacturers. The ISO rating was discussed again and 73 the council heard that not all insurance companies utilize that rating system. 74 75 Mayor Reinert remarked that this is an expensive decision to make at this point. He'd 76 like to see the fire service run for awhile and he's suggesting a review after four months. 77 He would like to look at the concept of a fixed annual budget for equipment. The 78 council heard about a February cut-off date for ordering the new pumper trucks; the 79 schedule is questionable after that time. The mayor asked that the council receive 80 additional information based on their discussion. 81 82 The council moved to discussion of the police division equipment. Director Swenson 83 reviewed the written staff report outlining the police division fleet needs and the 84 standards used to establish those needs. When Director Swenson discussed the rotation 85 of vehicles within the fleet, the mayor said he recalls a four-year rotation rather than the 86 three-year indicated. Deputy Director McCarthy explained that the department begins 87 looking at the vehicles at three years. Council Member Kusterman asked why all the 88 vehicles come from the Ford line and Director Swenson explained that the Ford models 89 serve the department's purpose well and further changing to a different brand could add 90 costs in updating for required equipment. va