Agenda Packets - 2023/07/05 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minutes of the City Council Workshop August 11, 2022 • Councilor Shah asked Dujmovic how the mentioned 6 people at $166,000 gets to 1 million spent. We are charged $154K, however the salary is $80,000 plus benefits. She feels the importance of the value of all the services they provide that are not used that often, but we need to know items such as helicopter and boat support when needed. • Dujmovic stated that he is completely in support of policing, however just making sure we are getting the 6 officer hours that we are paying for. He noted that if we did not have contract in place, Ramsey County is still obligated to still provide emergency service via 911. • Ries suggested is makes sense to ask some of the surrounding cities to see if even feasible to explore other options, or have support from another police force such as White Bear. She would love to expand on those personal services such as health/wellness checks, alarms, etc. giving residents personal touch. • The Contract with Ramsey County Expires December of 2024. • Watson feels we should work with our current provider to see if we can adjust services to tailor to our needs. It is a similar situation with Fire Department, based on our hours of need, confirm if we are paying adequately. • Dujmovic mentioned the City should have basic information such as whether we have a dedicated patrol person on duty at the time, or whether we need to call 911. • Deputy Alex Graham of the Sherriff's office spoke on the topic. He has worked in various departments such as St. Paul Police force, small towns, as well as in the medical field. He emphasized that every second counts when there are crimes in progress, officers struggling with suspects, reaching victims that need assistance and persons have a heart attack or medical crisis. For every call that occurs, there also could be hundreds of hours behind the scene prosecuting, interviewing and investigating and the technology and training of the officers to provide this support. There are a lot of fees that the City directly benefits from instantly that are built into contract that might be hard to quantify. The proximity for backup when needed will be a challenge for officers not in immediate proximity to North Oaks such as Anoka or White Bear. He also noted if there was an officer the CSO house call front, there are often calls that seem innocent, but involve armed individuals, therefore calling for backup is difficult. He appreciated the opportunity to speak to this issue and provide insight on the value Ramsey County Sherriff's brings to providing support for North Oaks. • Councilor Dujmovic will continue gathering information on all alternatives, to bring back for further discussion. • Councilor Shah thanked residents and councilors who participated in the National Night Out event. Fire relief board to increase the annual relief benefit. Encouraged council participation in upcoming events and getting residents on the eblast. • Mayor Ries noted in the Mayors meeting there was discussion of development issues, and traffic calming measures. She also thanked everyone for involvement in National Night Out. 5. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Dujmovic, seconded by Hara, to adjourn the meeting at 6:57 p.m. Motion carried unanimously by roll call. Page 12