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Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 20,2015 <br /> Page 6 of 8 <br /> Coalition and agreed it was important to discuss and act on issues as a whole,building bonds and <br /> cooperation among cities. They agreed that the summit meetings have brought attention to the <br /> issues of water and conservation,and it was best to be proactive in sending messages to the <br /> legislators. It was also agreed the water summit group needed to become more formalized and <br /> take action on certain issues. The consensus of the Council was to officially organize the group <br /> and continue to meet on issues affecting all communities. <br /> Update on Ambulance Workshop <br /> The Hugo City Council held a workshop to discuss ambulance service in Hugo on March 18, <br /> 2015. This was the second workshop related to ambulance service. Representatives from the <br /> Hugo Fire Department,North Memorial Ambulance, and the White Bear Lake Fire Department <br /> were in attendance. At the meeting,Council had discussed the progressive improvement in <br /> emergency services being provided to Hugo residents,challenges due to growing call volumes, <br /> and possible changes that may result toward further improvements in emergency response. <br /> City Administrator Bryan Bear provided background on the Joint Powers Agreement with White <br /> Bear Lake for shared Basic Life Support(BLS) services.This agreement was formed in 2008 <br /> with the intent of Hugo moving forward to provide full service;however,there is nothing in the <br /> agreement to outline how that would happen. Hugo is absorbing more costs and increased call <br /> volume. It was noted that both White Bear Lake and Hugo Fire Departments operate as paid-on- <br /> call departments. <br /> Bryan explained White Bear Lake and North Memorial both have license to provide care in an <br /> assigned Primary Service Areas(PSA). These PSAs overlap in Hugo. It was noted that service <br /> from White Bear Lake has been good,but with the future growth and demographics,neither <br /> Hugo nor White Bear Lake would be able to cover the call volume. He presented four options: <br /> do nothing,expand Hugo's role, have White Bear Lake provide full coverage,or have North <br /> Memorial provide full coverage. With North Memorial providing coverage, a staffed ambulance <br /> would be in Hugo during the day and in a nearby community during the evening. There would <br /> be no additional costs to Hugo taxpayers. <br /> The Council agreed that the option to have North Memorial cover Hugo would best serve the <br /> community. Hugo and White Bear Lake have done a nice job in providing ambulance service <br /> and it has been great partnership,but having full-time professional staff on hand would be a <br /> safety improvement for the resident. It was stated that the Hugo Fire Department has been <br /> unselfish in understanding these issues and know it's the right thing for Hugo's citizens. <br /> Weidt made motion, Haas seconded,to move forward with the option to have North Memorial <br /> cover Hugo by having further discussions with White Bear Lake and North Memorial on details, <br /> serve White Bear Lake with the 90 day notice to withdraw from the JPA,and move forward with <br /> an agreement with North Memorial. <br /> Ayes: Petryk, Haas,Miron,Klein,Weidt <br /> Nays: None <br /> Motion carried. <br />