Agenda Packets - 2005/02/07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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such as an alarm, smoke odor, or police assist. The remaining 30% are fires of some type; wildland, garbage, car or structure with about 15 to 20 serious fire calls a year. Capital Needs and Plan: The current plan is comprised of three components; a formal Capital Improvement Plan, Equipment Certificates, and ongoing yearly capital purchases. The first component is the one that the most time will be spent on. Equipment certificates are something regularly used by most cities to purchase large, expensive pieces of machinery such as fire trucks, snowplows, and other public works trucks. Capital purchases are also made every year by the fire department and other city departments via the annual capital budget. These items include such things as police vehicles, computers, personal protective equipment and so on. Since the plan covers a ten-year period, the combination of the three will be used to address the needs in the most efficient manner. It is proposed that the smaller items such as our chief’s vehicles, water rescue equipment and wildland fire fighting equipment be purchased through the annual capital budget. A schedule will be developed such that equipment will be purchased as needed but also with an effort to spread the purchases out on an even basis. The equipment certificates would not be used until after 2010 at which time some of our engines and ladders would be due for replacement. In effect, the debt on these bonds would be about ¼ of the original fire bonds and would follow on the heels of those. Taxpayers may recall that the average $120,000 home paid $14 per year for the 1990 fire bonds. Formal Capital Improvement Plan: Construction of a new station and the purchase of two engines and one command van comprise the formal Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The 2003 Legislature passed a bill into law that allows cities to adopt a CIP specific for Police and Fire Stations, City Halls and specific other public buildings. The law requires the adoption by resolution of the plan, a public hearing, and within 30 days of the hearing, a reverse referendum provision whereby if 5% of the voters in the previous election file a petition, the issue has to go to referendum. New Fire Station: A new fire station is proposed to be constructed in the area of Highway 65 and 117th Avenue in Blaine. As part of this project Station Three on 109th and Buchanan and Station Five located at Paul Parkway and Ulysses Street would be sold. These two stations are less than one mile apart, do not have adequate garage bays or meeting space, and are both land locked making additional impossible. By consolidating Stations Three and Five into a single station the department and citizens will benefit from a more efficient operation. It will provide an opportunity for a reduction in the number of personnel as well as equipment. No reduction in service or