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Home My WebLink About04-08-2024 City Council Work Session MinutesLINO LAKES CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES DATE: April 8, 2024 TIME STARTED: 6:00 PM TIME ENDED: 6:28 PM MEMBERS PRESENT: Councilmembers Stoesz, Lyden, Ruhland, Mayor Rafferty MEMBERS ABSENT: Councilmember Cavegn Staff Members Present: City Administrator Sarah Cotton; Finance Director Hannah Lynch; Human Resources and Communications Manager Meg Sawyer; Public Safety Director John Swenson; Community Development Director Michael Grochala; City Planner Katie Larsen; City Clerk Jolleen Chaika. 1. Review Regular Agenda Mayor Rafferty reviewed the meeting agenda. Staff provided an overview of submitted staff reports for each agenda item. Prior to the conclusion of the Work Session, Mayor Rafferty brought up the prior discussion of a fire analysis and the public safety model as discussed at the previous two work sessions. He recollected that the direction was for staff to find a consultant to focus on items 3, 4, and 5 from the 2014 fire analysis. Councilmember Lyden clarified that he did not believe restrictions were placed on the direction to staff, rather, the direction was to find someone to look at (the situation). Mayor Rafferty recalled that Councilmember Cavegn had stated we need to look at how 3, 4, and 5 can work for the city. Councilmember Lyden said that (in 2014), we did this: Put blinders on and put constraints on the report; when we start narrowing it down, we will come up with the same results as before. Public Safety Director John Swenson reviewed the (draft) minutes and stated that his understanding (from direction provided on April 1, 2024) was that the question posed to him and the next steps should be, "How will fire service be delivered in Lino Lakes?" He advised that staff have assembled several requests for proposals (RFP) from other cities for similar analyses; that staff are continuing to gather information to put together an RFP from Lino Lakes to be submitted to consultants/vendors. Mayor Rafferty stated that back on March 1, it had been identified that Deputy Director L'Allier was developing a five-year plan and he wanted an update on where that plan was at. Director Swenson clarified that based on the direction from Council at the April 1 work session to work with a consultant, work on the plan has paused so that staff could focus on the RFP. Mayor Rafferty then stated that he wanted to see the five-year the plan as it is now to be sent out to all of Council by tomorrow (April 9, 2024); however, Director Swenson informed Mayor Rafferty that he did not believe a document was available to be sent out to Council though he will check with Deputy Director L'Allier to see what may be available. Mayor Rafferty then directed Director Swenson to have a document or update to Council by Wednesday (April 10, 2024). Mayor Rafferty further stated he is looking for one thing: what we need for a fire department and he thinks that with (L'Allier's) experience and knowledge, he is best suited to write the report. 1 Director Swenson sought clarification of what Mayor Rafferty is seeking; Mayor Rafferty stated he is looking for the plan. Director Swenson will review with Deputy Director L'Allier and will submit to Council what is available. Mayor Rafferty then provided a copy of a Star Tribune article, written by Erin Adler, regarding the City of Shakopee and the Shakopee Fire Department and directed that it be distributed to all Councilmembers; a copy of the article has been attached to these minutes for inclusion in the record. Mayor Rafferty commented on the contents of the article and of the consultant who reviewed fire services in Shakopee. He then suggested that there needs to be a split between police and fire and further that Dan L'Allier should be the lead in writing the RFP. Councilmember Lyden clarified that Shakopee has been in the news for negative reasons; Mayor Raffety agreed and commented that the consultant has been helpful in identifying issues. Councilmember Lyden the spoke of his concerns with Mayor Rafferty's tone and stated that he believes Mayor Rafferty has it in for specific people, that he believes the Mayor is engaging in bullying tactics. Mayor Rafferty disagreed and said he is watching dollars and cents and that it is not about an individual. Mayor Rafferty stated that he believes Director Swenson is better suited as a police officer and that he does not have the knowledge and years of experience as a fire fighter. Director Swenson advised that he has 32 years in police service and has experience in fire since 2015; that Deputy Director L'Allier has more years of experience in fire. The work session concluded at 6:28 PM. These minutes were considered and approved at the regular Council Meeting on April 22, 2024. Hannah Lynch, City Clerk r 2 Rob R ffe y, Mayor Shakopee is hiring a new fire chief and reorganizing parts of its Fire Department after a report identified earing deficiencies with management, training and staffing levels and a consultant labeled it the "worst department" they had seen in nearly two decades of consulting. The report, from consulting firm Citygate Associates, was shared with the Shakopee City Council in February. It was prompted by a request from interim Fire Chief Mike Scott, who was hired by Shakopee 'from the Eagan Fire Department, and made the report a condition of in July 2023 after retiring as chief his employment. Among the findings: problems that dated back years, prompted by a management culture that "exemplified ad hoc decisions, favoritism, no quality assurance [and] no annual operations or training plan." Many programs were "missing, weak or not in compliance with state regulations." The training program didn't comply with industry best practices or state and federal law and firefighters' attendance at trainings was mostly optional, with no audit of who completed what. "To say I was shocked was probably an understatement when I was told that there was no real training program and that ��e �n.�eren't training fin state standards;" said ShakopPP City Administrator Bill Reynolds, who called the department's training lapses "unconscionable." •Shakopee fire chief retires after city investigation_ into allecLed misconduct Reynolds said it was clear that leadership has been lacking in the department for a long time, and the city is moving quickly to select a new fire chief as soon as June. "We're going to bring in a leader with strong values, experience with larger departments," Reynolds said. who knows the fire service and who has #� .. ., r . a. +r.i with city i on Feb. a i ' the findings, 9 1 r s . • tf $55,000. imes, they told Reynolds that a change had to be made r'ght away, and leynolds aLireed, e said. Council that a Citygate consultant had described the Shakopee Fire Department as the "worst department I have seen in my 18 years as ., professional consultant. /'..Relyrinolds Misconduct?revious Shakopee Fire Chief Rick Coleman retired in December 2022 following an external investigation. �. f getting it on" in the back of Shakopee Fire Department SUV I the chief s official vehicle in r f e vvith fifth�degree drug possession after police received tips about suspected drug activity in Gels' zarage. He pleaded guiltV, served two daVs in 'I and laced on prODation. jai r � '� • it # �r' � � • r r r � � is � i r � !a ` a i � '; .l +�; � • + , • +. �i suppiemeniect t part --time rirerign tars. a ��e 1010 its First fq,-111 f;r�lg tars in 13 �.�. �.sn"t ire and ore s��e en, � said. occurs." rya support to make sure , kk i• .l IL A ook at departmental operations, suggest* hanges and helping pick, ,...r� ,�; i. � � i a '� .. . ,. � � +; � . i ■...: , .... � �. is :� i, r",, �: r i:: r. � ! ��, �� -. '�: eorganizing the administrative office. o e�f s �cc a s e a lac e�°ic. Shakopee is applying for a federal fire staffing grant and hopes to get Station 2 staffed by 2025. "I feel like the department's really moving in the right direction," Scott said. "We're laying the Foundation for the future."