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MEMORANDUM To:Saint Anthony Village City Council From:Jeff Spiess, Police Captain Date:October 25, 2022 City Council Meeting Request:Approve Resolution 22-075 to Join Fencing Consortium BACKGROUND In the spring of 2021, several police agencies in Hennepin County expressed interest in exploring the possibility of using shared resources to secure a fencing/barrier system to protect critical city infrastructure in the event of a civil unrest situation. The goal was to have an anti-scale fencing structure readily available, within close proximity that could be set up within hours. A Fence Working Group was formed with members of several agencies from the Hennepin County area, to include police, fire, public works, and emergency management. The group met several times over the next several months to hear from industry experts, vendors, and evaluate various products through in-person demonstrations and displays. The vendor list was reduced to two and discussions on logistics and cost information was initiated. Each agency evaluated their need and blueprint for fencing and a final individual approximate cost was developed. Additional agencies from the seven-county metropolitan area have since joined the working group. In September 2022, the Consortium formally started. In late 2021 and early 2022, members of the St. Anthony Police, Fire, and Public Works met to discuss potential need for fencing in the City of St. Anthony. A map covering the water treatment facility behind City Hall was identified as a critical structure needing protection. A map was developed and submitted to the Fencing Workgroup, which in turn estimated the total annual cost to the City of $6,350. An effort to secure $5 million dollars in State Funding toward this project was initiated, which was likely to reduce the cost to each individual city by at least 50 percent, but was unsuccessful. The Fence Consortium will identify a fencing vendor to own and store fencing in the metro area. The Fence Consortium, made up of members of police, fire, and public works, will provide staffing for setting up the fence and for security during its installation. The team would train three times per year and each individual city would be responsible to cover costs associated with their personnel assigned to the team. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval of the joint powers agreement to join the Fencing Consortium 69